City Thoughts

Toronto trip has been successfully completed! No major upsets or setbacks involved. Learned the ways of subways and buses, knowledge which I find useful for future reference as well. Back at work today, which is not the number one place I would like to be... oh well, money must be earned, which is something beggars in Toronto do not understand.

To stray from that thought for a minute... one of the things I most enjoyed while in the big city was seeing a variety of colours, cultures, and styles. The white sea monotony in Pictou County is not very stimulating for the mind. Nice to see people who don't look like me, who don't dress like me, and who don't talk like me (although sometimes I do find it disconcerting to have people talking around me without understanding what is being said). I find it more inspiring that way... makes me want to re-think who I would like to be, and particularly the style I would like to have.

The one diversity I could have done without would be the beggars. I work hard to earn my money, why do people think I will give it away simply because someone walks up and shoves a cup in my face? At least have the decency to ASK for the money... do not just hold your hand/cup/whatever out assuming I will know what you expect. Certainly I have some level of empathy for these people, but you have to earn your money just as I earned mine... do a trick for me... entice me with your alluring story and personality... do a dance or sing a song... anything, really. Then maybe I will consider throwing away my hard earned money to support your addiction/mental health issues/poor choices. If you can not do that for me in order to gain a profit, then do not expect me to remain polite in return. If I am in a good mood, maybe you'll simply get a "No.", but most of the time I am already annoyed by the general crowding of the city, so you will likely get a more colourful answer. This weekend, the beggars were lucky that Chris was generally the interception point... he is much more forgiving and polite when he declines.

The city is interesting and enticing in some ways, but it is likely that I would end up longing for the country before too long. Natural greenery, peace&quiet, and avoiding crowds are all terribly valuable to me. Glad to be back home and in familiar surroundings.