Everyone’s favourite singer, songwriter and influencer is wrapping up her positively successful Eras Tour in Vancouver.

We have benefited from her sustained positive injection into our lives, which are generally dominated by negative thoughts, events and people.

My Cochrane-born, Great Depression-era mother flat out didn’t allow negative people to be in her life. And that included my older sister and me, even during the tough times in Kirkland Lake and Winnipeg. She imbued us with many mantras, including, “A lot of people have it a lot worse.”

So why did I become a Swiftie last month? Twice! My daughter Carrie had been to an Eras Tour concert in Lisbon a few months ago. It was “the best night of her life.”

For many years, almost two decades, she has been influenced by Taylor Swift, in positive ways and with great results.

On a recent Road Trip, Road Trip, she explained to me and two of my pals how an entire generation is better off because of Taylor Swift.

And frankly, I have become fatigued by the thinking of so many people here in Niagara. So much of what we hear at the Independent and on the streets has a negative vibe.

Letters to the editor of The Lake Report are mostly written by complainers and know-it-alls. Many of these negative, high-brow whiners like to intellectualize — after they tell us how much knowledge they possess.

And in the national media lately, we have heard so much about Soccer Canada’s embarrassing drone scandal. They have had much success during the past decade, including an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2020. Hmmm, a tainted victory?

Sad memories of Ben Johnson, who had Canadians feeling good for about 48 hours after he won the Seoul Olympics 100-metre gold medal in 1988.

Unfortunately, Stanozolol sandwiches were not allowed, and he and his coach Charlie Francis fell from grace. With a thud. That still stings our national psyche.

Soccer Canada is doing its best to clean up their mess. The media has followed the story in gory detail, sadly. Heads have deservedly fallen, careers have been ruined and hearts broken, and once again we Canadians have been reminded that winning isn’t everything.

Incredibly, one of the Canadian soccer gold medalists whined that she hoped “people wouldn’t think they were cheaters.” Guess what? They were cheaters!

Rambling back now to the attitude around Taylor Swift. I took the GO (yes, Government of Ontario) Bus from St. Catharines Fairview Mall to the Burlington Fairview GO station, and then the GO train to Toronto’s Union Station. Seamless connections and the price is so right. Especially for seniors.

On the GO train, dozens of granddaughters, daughters, moms and even a few grandmoms. Almost all are happily dressed with glitter, Swift Era outfits, and bright red lipstick. All emitting positive vibes. Happy. Anticipating a great, life highlight experience.

A few dads had been included, and they seemed quite at ease with the vibe. Many of them were wearing funny, self-deprecating T-shirts. This was an authentic girls’ night out.

A similar attitude, in most ways, to my annual GO train experience in late July. My buddy Larry and I immerse ourselves into Caribana on the Toronto waterfront.

Thousands of Canadians, all excited, all proud, all enthusiastic, polite and respectful. Almost all female, almost all black, and all loving Canada’s biggest Caribbean celebration. And the sexy ladies do their best to include two old white guys.

Last Saturday, the venerable Library Bar just off the main lobby of the venerable Royal York Hotel was the perfect place to rendezvous with my daughter. And with Swifties of all ages, gracious, feeling lucky, all anticipating “the best night of their lives.”

One lady on the long side of middle age from a small town just north of London was all dressed up, very Swiftie, with her daughter. They were “the Two Eras” and trust me, they were appropriately overdressed. “We spent way too much for our two tickets, but hey, sometimes you have to pay to make great memories.”

At the Loose Moose Bar on Front Street, founded in 1989, with Niagara connections, near the Rogers Centre, a single Mom who works in the custodial department at Brock University was finishing off a 29 oz. mug of Oast House Barnraiser beer.

Because she works at Brock, her son has had four years of tuition covered, and he will get his psychology degree next spring. She has it figured out.

Her life is good, and “I missed all the concerts when I was younger because I couldn’t afford the 10 or $20 tickets. I paid way too much for this Taylor ticket, but she has been a huge part of my life, and I wasn’t going to miss her tonight.”

Everyone was relaxed, gracious, polite, courteous and more. Unlike some sporting events and other big-name concerts, there was no threatening bad behaviour, no overdrinking, no drugs and no gratuitous profanity.

The ladies were surrounded by so many other people who were singing along, and love Taylor Swift and her songs.

Unlike the sea of crankiness that we seem to live in, Swifties have the best attitudes and rizz.

About five hundred of us, all ticketless, waited, hoping against hope, outside gate three of the Rogers Centre, ever positive in the chilly evening.

Ten minutes before the 8 p.m. start, we chanted “Open the door. Open the door.” Loudly and good-naturedly. The well-trained and polite security guards didn’t open the door.

The Toronto Police mounted unit had wrapped very large Eras Tour friendship bracelets around the necks of their horses. Bewdy, eh?

I walked happily along Front Street and caught the 10:11 GO train to the GO bus from Burlington back to Niagara.

A totally positive and enthusiastic Swiftie experience. Twice!

And my daughter gave me a friendship bracelet. The beads read, “Enchanted.”