Now It's In My Back Yard *NIMBY", It's Time to Get Civical

Let me be blunt, I'm a lucky woman.  I won't deny or pretend that I'm not.  I'm lucky to have been born Canadian, I'm lucky to have been resilient through my struggles, I'm lucky to have had two parents who loved me, I'm lucky to have married the right partner, I'm lucky to have good health, I'm lucky to have four amazing kids (two of whom came with an amazing husband), I'm blessed to have a certain autonomy in my life that enables me to take the first steps on what could be a very interesting road ahead.  I'm lucky, but at some point it hasn't been about luck, it's been about a lot of hard work and tenacity, choosing to buckle down instead of buckle under.  For the most part, I've led a conventional life, working hard and seeing that it isn't always about me, that there's a duty that is owed to the world in which I live, to contribute in the ways that I can.  I pay my taxes, paid my student loans, ensure my bills are paid, keep the kids fed, housed and loved, love and support my husband, help run the family business, help my neighbours from time to time, and respect that while I have rights, they come with significant responsibilities.

I'm blogging again (my first blog Awaiting Juno has been dormant for sometime) because, yet again, I have something to blog about, a cause to feel passionate about and ideas to struggle with.  Yet again, I see a role for myself where I can advocate for something better than what is, where, perhaps by adding my voice I can affect positive change in my community, my province and my country.  I'm blogging again, because a bunch of people thought that parking where they wanted, for as long as they wanted, doing they wanted was okay because we live in a community that has housing challenges.  I'm blogging again because, when I stood up for my neighbourhood, in a measured and reasonable way, there were people who were willing to deny my neighbourhood the same rights they'd give their own neighbourhoods because we are perceived to be wealthy and as such deserve to be punished, deserve to carry a hugely disproportionate burden; a burden that is rightfully the burden of the whole city, province and country and not just those who have worked damned hard to get where they are.  

So once again, I'm allowing my thoughts to be out there - and am hopeful that maybe in time, being called a NIMBY won't be a slur, but rather a badge of honour that says, that you care about your community, province and country and that you want better for it and for those who live in it.  

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