something i noticed today, a lot of people are dressed like "where's waldo".... and i thought to myself, who wakes up in the morning and thinks... i'm going to dress like waldo today? it weirds me out.
another thing i think about sometimes... is that when you're in the city, natural beauty is hard to come by. it's there, but you have to keep an eye out. after living on vancouver island for the better part of five years and being surrounded by mountains, ocean, and old growth forest... the views in the city can be kind of harsh. when i first moved back to toronto in september 2009 i was so excited by everything it had to offer, there was so much potential. after i started working downtown, and commuting underground in the rush hours... that potential had the potential to ruin me. it's taken time and patience, but i am truly happy to be in toronto. while i may not be awe struck by the mountains every morning, i have found beauty in the city. it can be as simple looking out my window and seeing rooftops covered with a fresh coat of snow, a vibrant sunset, the way a shadow is cast on the sidewalk, a pigeon nearly flying into my face... oh wait, that wasn't beautiful at all.... but anyway, you get the idea. and when i see these things i want to take pictures of them and share them with you.
and it doesn't stop at natural beauty... because i see beauty in humans every day. yes, i see ugliness in people too, but i have chosen to focus on the good... for my own sanity. and let's clarify that i'm not talking about aesthetically beautiful people and ugly people... i'm talking about people who are kind to one another, especially strangers. for example: yesterday i was entering queens park subway station and the woman ahead of me tried to hold the door but the wind blew it shut. she waved her arms apologetically. when i muscled the door open (with my muscly arms) she was waiting for me and she said "i'm so sorry i tried to hold it" and i replied that i understood and told her not to worry ... she then complimented my shoes and went so far as to note that while i was finishing my cigarette outside the station she was admiring them from afar. now that i'm typing this i realize she may sound kind of creepy, but trust me, i've seen creepy and this woman was entirely innocent. i have my best encounters on the subway during off-peak times. i have a bad habit of looking people in the eye and i realize that this is an invitation to talk to me. i know to keep my head down if i'm not in the mood to entertain strangers... for example... there was a man with a dolly cart(not a doll) at dundas west station yesterday, and i offered to hold the door for him. he declined my offer but thanked me... and then continued on about how he didn't want to go home because he lives in a boarding home... and he's a hoarder and he has roaches and mice... and he's trying to quit hoarding but the people at the boarding home want to kick him out... and somehow this led to him telling me that he wants to live with a woman and that mice are eating his condoms... and at this point i had to leave the bus station even though my bus hadn't arrived. i'll take some bad for some good though, what can you do?
humanity fascinates and terrifies me.
i looked into volunteering at the food bank but unfortunately all their shifts are during my work hours. i hope to find something i can commit to. i read recently about this amazing organization, Kiva: http://www.kiva.org/ in which you lend any denomination of money (i think it starts at $25) to a small business entrepreneur of your choosing. the pay back rate is something like 98%... go to the website and read more about it because i won't do it any justice. i read about it on a blog that i try and follow: http://www.raptitude.com/.
my friend amy sent me this video... it's great. you've probably seen it, but if you have you'd want to watch it again. it's pretty awesome. i had to research the name of the organization that posted it, as it was called reality changers and i had to know what that meant. upon visiting their website i was intrigued and inspired. so i thought i'd pass it on. lately it's been little things, that inspire me. and i think since realizing that inspiration is there but you have to look for it, create it almost... i dunno, i look for it i guess.
so that's all i have to say about that
2 comments:
vic, firstly the comment about the pigeon almost made me puke. if i pigeon got near my face i think i would die on the spot.
also, i have been donating to kiva for 3 years or so and have been able to lend to three different entrepreneurial groups so far. it's awesome because you pay it once and then it keeps coming back and then you re-lend. i spend more on coffee in a week than it costs to make a huge difference in a lot of peoples lives who really need it.
anyways, i love you and your blog. it makes me smile and makes me feel like we're hanging out and shooting the shit which i miss.
robeeena, thanks for your support. that is so cool that you've already been using kiva. it's funny i just heard about it and now it's everywhere. i guess i waasn't paying attention.
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