Thursday

Sorry!

"Do you know where I can get a FastForward [newspaper] around here?"

"Hmm, I think the Unicorn Pub down the street may have some. It's a few blocks though"

"Is that place still open?"

"Well it was the Dubliner for a while but it's back to The Unicorn now..."

"Nowhere closer?"

"I don't think so, sorry"

Canadians apologize for everything. We apologize to people we pass in the street, even if we're the one to step off the curb to make room. We apologize to cab drivers if they take a wrong turn, we somehow figure it was our fault; "Sorry my house is actually ten minutes in the other direction. So sorry".

We apologize for missing a friends phone call. We apologize for taking the last drops of coffee, the last donut, the last piece of cake. I woke up in the middle of the night, went to get a glass of water, tripped on my coffee table and promptly apologized to it.

We even apologize for apologizing too much, and for that, I'm very sorry.

7 comments:

well-intentioned heartbreaker said...

ahahah, oh how true this is.

we appologize for EVERYYYYTHING.

just this morning a small asian girl got pushed into me on the skytrain and appologized perfusely. and then the man that pushed her applogized. and i suppose i felt i had to join in, as i told her i was sorry for being in her way.

good lord.

Anonymous said...

You and the British. We apologise for everything too.

And don't apologise for talking to coffee tables. N once came home after a night out and woke me up, telling himself to be quiet!

Ben said...

Oh god. So guilty. Especially when people bump into me.

P said...

I'm with nuttycow on the british thing, i was just thinking that too!!! I always end up saying sorry when i'm the one in the right, someone will stamp on my foot and i'll say sorry (obviously my foot shouldn't have been there). I LOVED this post, and particularly LOVED the last line . . .

You're forgiven. :)

Rahul said...

I say sorry all the time too. I would like to be an honorary Canuck please.

I know all the words to Oh Canada and am willing to use the words, "washroom" and "aboot"

Jen said...

I like your new header!

ÄsK AliCë said...

Well-intentioned: I'm surprised the guy behind you didn't apologize for being in both of your ways

Nuttycow: Classic!

Ben: I know, it's so engrained in us

Paula: Thanks, I'll take it ;> And maybe it's because we Canadians have our British heritage, or something...

RS27: Done and done. Now all you have to do is shine up your mountie boots, throw on a parka and start saying "eh".

Jen: Thanks! I finally figured out sort of how to do one