When I think of Calgary, I think of a four letter word: home. It’s the place that I’ve grown up in, and what better way to give back to my home than to partake in Mayor Nenshi’s “3 Things For Calgary” campaign?
My plan is simple. All it takes are simple notions that people will acknowledge, but never really know who did it. In other words, doing tasks without expecting thanks and more often than not, without people even know it’s you who’s doing it.
In Calgary, it’s inevitable that we will have a harsh winter. I’m sure everyone knows about the knee-deep snow that we’re all accustomed to shedding tears at the sight of the soon-to-be mountain of snow from all the back-breaking shovelling. What if, when the opportunity arises, I’d go and shovel as much of the sidewalk as I can. It would save a lot of people a lot of time to shovel; and more importantly it would save all the pedestrians cold, wet feet!
Regarding my neighbourhood, it’s generally quiet and peaceful. However, a new high school opened down the street recently and that without a doubt means that there will be more activity around my community. It might be for the better, it might be for the worst. But why test it? I happen to know a big chunk of students attending that high school, so if I talk to them and express how I want my neighbourhood to be- essentially accepting new visitors with open arms while still wanting peace of mind- then hopefully their presence will be for the better!
As for my city, my home, I’d like to proactively get the youth involved with more events going on around town. In this day and age, it seems like more and more kids prefer staying at home playing video games or going out with friends without doing anything special in particular. If by letting people know about the amazing things this city has to offer, it’d get the youth involved again and make Calgary more united.
With all of these things, none of them particularly places my name in shining lights, but I’d get the satisfaction of knowing I made an impact, and by never expecting a thank you, I would continually do it, willingly and with my best efforts.
