#humansoftoronto

[helplessabyss]

This man feeds the pidgeons in my neighborhood everyday, and they love him and follow him around like lil puppies. I will befriend this pidgeon man. #pidgeonman #humansoftoronto

[danielamartin]

I wonder if he counts these walking feet like sheep slipping into pockets of sleep...forgetting just for a minute how cold the concrete underneath him really is. #beaware #wecanhelp #streetsoftoronto #thisislife #humansoftoronto #daysoftoronto

[simplycatherine]

Those #lunchtime views though. • ☀️✈️⛵️ • #toronto #canada #canada150 #humansoftoronto #torontolife (at Toronto Harbour)

[volunteersoftoronto]

(1/3) “When I heard about the Repair Cafe movement from a friend, I really liked the idea of it and wanted do to something to take part. They had a great message, to emphasize the REUSE part of the “reduce, reuse and recycle” slogan. I always believed that reuse and reduce were the more important actions, and here was a chance for me to contribute to that, hone my skills, and talk to people about it at the same time.”

[dankasslingling]

LMFAO

[progressiveparentingintheci-blog]

Green with Envy

Mostly, I am content with the way things have panned out in my life. It isn't exactly how I imagined it to be, but that doesn't mean that it is bad.

When work/work related stuff comes up in conversation with others, this is where I tend to skirt around a bit. I don't love my job. It isn't where I was meant to be. It isn't even a job I'd encourage others to chase. It isn't what I was trained to do. If I am honest, even the thought of sharing my job title makes me squirm. A lot! I am a small fry that does meaningless work in the eyes of the rest of employees, so even when I have ground breaking stuff to share, I am tossed aside.

Oh well...It is what it is. A job. A stable income. In a community that I both live and play. A place that I could easily settle with limited amounts of stress and struggle, complete with benefits ,super amazing holiday/sick time/compassionate leave etc. All of which were important deciding factors as a parent who had a lot of other obligations & commitments. And so, I've been there 15 years.

That said, when I stumbled across this video on Facebook Stories, I was dumbfounded and green with envy. THAT is definitely what I should have been doing with my life. No sense in kickin' my feet in the dirt about it now, but man, why didn't I think of something that cool? That honest. That human. Than raw. That creative. That ... that ... that ...

A PEOPLE PERSON:

I've always been a people watcher.

I've always listened, watched, wondered, helped, engaged, dared, enjoyed, encouraged, questioned, challenged, taught, shared, empathized, supported, inspired, cared...

I remember my teen years as being my least social days, but I was quite happy to sit outside on the busy streets of Toronto, sipping a tea and flicking through a paper while taking in all the sights, sounds and smells of the big city.

I still see faces and remember stories from 20 odd years ago. I still reach out and acknowledge people that have come in and out of the community for a million reasons over the years.

I've been hired to do a fairly mediocre job. One that is not very stimulating, but I guess in some ways I can appreciate it for what it is. If not for that, I wouldn't be here, doing the other mad things I get up to. I don't get burnt out at work and so, I can focus my energies on the things that I am interested in (and enjoy) outside of those hours (and sometimes within). I engage with people on a regular basis and have formed a lot of unique working relationships with the people in my community.

There isn't a moment that passes that a person walks past me and does not peak my interest.

When I notice a man that usually rides his bike around the city, limping and struggling to get around on foot, I am the first to ask where his bike is and when he says it's in for repair and he can't afford to get it back out, I'd tell him to stay put, walk down and get the tire for him.

I'm the first to seek out a woman, when I happen to stumble upon her purse and identification strewn across a back alleyway to make sure she is ok and because of that, I still get random calls and visits from the woman who just wants to say hi and talk about her day because she feels I am the only one that has ever really taken an interest in her. These days she ends the call or visit with "I love you. Talk to you soon".

I engage with seniors and sometimes I am most fascinated by them, as they have so many amazing stories and life experiences that they have bottled up for the most part, so they are bursting at the seams when someone takes a genuine interest. I've purposely sought out artwork in a museum that belonged to senior who I knew would never make it across the Atlantic to get the see exhibit for herself and took a bunch of photos, then printed and framed them for her when I returned.

MY VERY OWN HUMANS OF TORONTO:

Gah! I love to read the stories and see the faces of the real, raw Humans of New York. I can only imagine what it would be like to step out onto the streets of Toronto and do the same. I've got plenty of similar stories, but no pictures or places to retell such tales.

I am careful to remind my children to be mindful of others, to remember that every person that they see in a day is living a life completely of their own and probably a lot different to the life we know and that perspective for every one of those people will be unique to their own experiences.

My kids are some of the coolest people I know because they actually get that and are so, so, so kind, curious, thoughtful, honest, accepting, open-minded, interested, supportive, raw, creative, genuine and open in all of their interactions with others in our very diverse city.

My hope for them, is that they never settle for less than they deserve and that they are bold and fearless in chasing the things that inspire them to be who they really are, so that they can both live happy and fulfilled lives.

With such varied, colourful and cultured experiences, it's not a massive ask, is it? The possibilities are endless...

[humansofmarch-blog]

"Where are you headed" "Actually I'm still at work... So I'm going back to work"

[humansofmarch-blog]

"I like that she is so trustworthy and she has a really great smile"

"She's horrible and I'm sorry that I'm stuck with her all year. Just kidding! But seriously - she's always there to support you, and is a little bit crazy but it makes her super awesome"