August 26, 2008 - Parking meters are the bane of my existence. Expected to always have a handful of change to be able to go anywhere, I am constantly re-stocking the parking meter money tray. Yet somehow, I get to where I want to be, find the perfect place to park, and no change. In Vancouver, parking downtown is $6 an hour in any meter and a tad cheaper on Sundays in some areas. That means that to go for brunch, one needs to carry four (4) Loonies, and four (4) twoonies at a weight of roughly four (4) pounds just for eggs and toast. If you were to carry around your parking money in your trousers, the weight of all those coins would wear holes through your pockets. It is actually cheaper to walk to Brunch and take a taxi home.
This weekend, while digging around in the car looking for that elusive Loonie for just 20 more minutes on the meter, I stumbled across the American version of the crazy Canuck coin... the Susie B. A one dollar coin featuring Susan B. Anthony. I was on the verge of putting her in the meter when at the last minute I found another coin in my pocket. I saved Susie B from what would surely have been a dark end. Today is Women's Equality Day or Susan B. Anthony Day. It is the day that women were given the vote. It was a marked day in history, and they commemorated it by issuing a coin that nobody uses. It is almost like saying the vote is worth no more than a buck, but you'll be damned to part with it or put it in the meter for a mere twenty minutes of parking.
Equality isn't something that we have been given in a congressional vote. Equality is something that we have to earn as human beings. If you can treat those in your life with equal parts of respect and compassion, than equality is something you have earned in return. Equality is blind to gender, race, orientation or ability. I have always felt that I treated everyone in my world equally, yet I sometimes treat myself differently than I do others. I don't give myself the credit I maybe deserve while I second guess my abilities. In the end, it isn't so much about me, but about the people around me - and I have nothing but respect and belief in those who surround me.
Equality comes in a few other forms as well. It turns out that both men's and women's steel toe boots are equally ugly and nobody looks good in a hard hat. If this is equal - then all for equality, and equality for all.
This weekend, while digging around in the car looking for that elusive Loonie for just 20 more minutes on the meter, I stumbled across the American version of the crazy Canuck coin... the Susie B. A one dollar coin featuring Susan B. Anthony. I was on the verge of putting her in the meter when at the last minute I found another coin in my pocket. I saved Susie B from what would surely have been a dark end. Today is Women's Equality Day or Susan B. Anthony Day. It is the day that women were given the vote. It was a marked day in history, and they commemorated it by issuing a coin that nobody uses. It is almost like saying the vote is worth no more than a buck, but you'll be damned to part with it or put it in the meter for a mere twenty minutes of parking.
Equality isn't something that we have been given in a congressional vote. Equality is something that we have to earn as human beings. If you can treat those in your life with equal parts of respect and compassion, than equality is something you have earned in return. Equality is blind to gender, race, orientation or ability. I have always felt that I treated everyone in my world equally, yet I sometimes treat myself differently than I do others. I don't give myself the credit I maybe deserve while I second guess my abilities. In the end, it isn't so much about me, but about the people around me - and I have nothing but respect and belief in those who surround me.
Equality comes in a few other forms as well. It turns out that both men's and women's steel toe boots are equally ugly and nobody looks good in a hard hat. If this is equal - then all for equality, and equality for all.
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