February 21, 2010. Canadians have been typically typecast as the "quiet North Americans", it seems. Traditional English Canadians that is -- Francophone Canadians have always understood la joie de vivre! With the Winter Olympic 2010 Games, in Vancouver and Whistler, something seems to have happened...in its quiet Canadian way, naturally! An explosion of enthusiasm has occurred! It is very "un-Canadian" to paint the flag on cheekbones, to wear red and white clothing, with a flag motif, if possible, to break into spontaneous and slightly off key renditions of the national anthem (O Canada...we stand on guard for thee...), and it's very strange to see a happy meshing of strangers into a club called Canadian! And yet...there it all is! What did the Manitoba winner of the Gold Medal for skeleton racing say? It's the point of sport, to engage in friendly rivalry, with equals -- the best of the best go to the Olympics, and mere seconds separate the first place finish from the fifth place. Sadness and Joy coexist in an Olympic venue...in life, we are in the midst of death, as the great philosophers remind us. The tragedy of the death of the luge racer, from Georgia, on a practice run, before the Olympics had even opened, and then the wild enthusiasm for Alex Biladeau, Gold Medal for Men's Mogul race, with the heart-warming story of his inclusion of his brother, a Cerebral Palsey victim, in his life...it created that yin/yang story of real life events. So many stories, and all of them linked with this unexpected and whole-hearted bonding with the Olympic experience, right across the country. It started with that Canada-wide Torch relay, and built into the euphoric pride being expressed in Vancouver and in Whistler.... Does this mean we've finally grown into ourselves? I suspect we're going to see a lot of media reporting about the deep inner meaning of it all, in the Canadian psyche. For the time being, enjoy! Value the passion and the perseverence that delivered these athletes to the Games. They are the best of the best, and in some way, we're all "winners", as they carry us all along with them. Inspiring, eh?