Well, I've always been known to take things personally. All day, I've been thinking about the Sunday Shopping "debate", and realized that I reacted defensively yesterday, when I found out that Nova Scotia said "NO." (Although, HRM wanted it? Funny, how people in Liverpool and Sydney get to decide what goes on in MY city). I'm refraining (with all my might, I should add) to add more of my ridiculous ranting on a local messageboard. I felt that every argument against Sunday Shopping, was an attack against me. I spent the day feeling wrong; thinking I should find a way to apologize (yet again). But then, I come home from work, and see that people are arguing so intensely about the issue, that it IS bordering on personal attack (although not necessarily towards me). People on both sides are very passionate. May I add that this nonsense is going on after the plebiscite? I've learned, perhaps a little too late, that it's useless; the people on either side are not going to change each other's minds. I think everyone just wants to be understood, instead of being instantly shut down. It'd be really great if people could have an actual discussion about it, but people are people and they are decided in this issue, which means they have no reason to hear the other side out...they just want to shut down the other side.

Someone said my groceries example is just a sob story (when really, it's just an example). Someone else said that people who can't get groceries by Sunday are lazy. Quite honestly, I feel most of the arguments on the other side are sob stories. Perhaps I have no sympathy to the forced family day idea because of my upbringing. Perhaps I have no sympathy for the single mom example because of my memories of growing up with my own single mom. I never got to see her. She usually worked 6 days a week. She had to remember to take time out of her travelling time home, to stop at stores and get the things we needed. Many summer nights, she didn't get home till around ten (summer was the busy season in the moving industry). I spent weekends with my dad.

Actually, I don't know what the previous paragraph has to do with this issue. I guess I find all the people whining about having a leisure day as just that, people whining. Families make time for each other (unless your parents blow), and that time does not HAVE to be Sunday, although I do see that it makes things easier.

In the eyes of the "No" voters, my mother and I are lazy. Funny. I find the people fighting for a slower pace, lazy.

Another argument is that lifting the Sunday Shopping ban will hurt local business. I thought, in order for capitalism to work (and I'm not saying I think it does work, but providing an argument considering we live in North America, and being anti-capitalist or anti-consumerist are different issues), the consumer should be able to choose for themselves. I should not be forced to shop somewhere I normally wouldn't, just because it's Sunday and I have no choice. The people who disagree think I should be forced to, because those businesses are local and need my money.

In the end, I'll get over it; I have to. It's been decided for me by a small portion of the population (although a bigger portion of people turned out to vote in this than in a usual election). I've spent the last 19 years of my life without Sunday shopping, I can keep going. It's just that now, I feel like a toddler who was shown some candy and then told I couldn't have it because the people voted no.

I've thought about it, and realized that I've never liked Sundays. There are many non-religious people who say they like Sundays as a leisure day, and they want to keep our traditional, laid-back lifestyle. Why has Sunday always been a leisure day? Well, the non-religious type don't want to talk about the fact that it stems from Christianity. I see that as the Day of Rest being forced on non-believers. But that doesn't matter now. The non-believers still like their day off.

I'm reminded of being a young child, just moving here from Ontario. "Mommy, why can't we _____ (and shopping is just part of that blank) just because it's Sunday?" "Because Sunday is the day people go to church and....." "But Mommy, we don't go to church. Why should we stay home and do nothing?"

blah blah blah. I don't understand you, and I'm tired of trying to be understood, only to receive hostile responses. I thought this was about choice--the choice of the business owner and the worker (who has the right to refuse to work on a Sunday, or who may choose to work Sunday because they're in school through the week)--but I see Nova Scotians want to keep those choices from others. Everyone who is for working on Sunday is a fool for not thinking the same way as those who oppose.

Oh well. At least we recently legalized gay marriage. I wonder how the results would've been if they had let the people vote on that one.