Hey, you must know...?
--- By Bob 'Idea Man' Hooey 
Have you ever had one of our neighbours to the south or someone from other country ask you if you knew their friend, cousin, uncle or some other relative when they found out you were from Canada? Interesting how little they know about the vastness of Canada or where our cities and towns are in relation to each other. 
I live part of the time in the Greater Vancouver area and have a quiet place in the country north of Edmonton where I go to relax and do some of my creative work between trips. As a professional speaker, I am often on the road to some Canadian city and occasionally south of the border sharing my Ideas At Work! with our American cousins. 
It never ceases to amaze me, when they ask me if I know someone in Toronto, Montreal, or Halifax. I also find their reactions vary when I tell them how far these places are from where I live, and that 100,000 or 1,000,000 people live in the area they ask about. 
But I guess we should forgive our American cousins.  After all, as Canadians we all too often forget how vast and varied our country is in climate, population, people and ethnic mix. I encourage my Canadian friends to travel this great country and visit their 'extended family' to see for themselves just how great a place we have to call home. 
I've had the pleasure of travelling coast-to-coast and visiting most of the Provinces, and last year two visits to the Yukon or my more recent trip to the North West Territories. This is an awesome place. So the next time some one asks, "Hey, you must know?" take a moment to reflect and share the greatness that is our home. And perhaps take the time to share the greatness of our country with the person who says it.
© Copyright 2002- 2005 Bob ‘Idea Man’ Hooey http://www.ideaman.net All rights in all media reserved.
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About the author: 

Bob ‘Idea Man’ Hooey is a sought after productivity strategist, creativity catalyst and idea farmer (http://www.ideafarmer.biz), who regularly writes for North American consumer, association and trade journals, on-line magazines and company intranets. He is the author of nine books, a mini-book series, four success systems and an e-book series. Bob is a motivational, business and association keynote conference speaker and executive leadership trainer and coach (http://www.leadersedge.biz). He is a professional member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and the International Federation for Professional Speakers. 

Visit his website for additional leadership, business and career development articles like this one: http://www.ebusinesssuccess.biz