The Toronto Maple Leafs just lost. Every goal scored against them occurred on a power play. This is the game that happened while I am in Toronto. If I was superstitious, I would consider it a bad omen. Instead, I am smiling with the very realization that I am physically in Toronto.
I have spent the past year living in Northern Ontario. It is really beautiful, but for me, maddening. I love details and stimuli. Where I live, there is water, trees, and rocks. That's it. Everywhere you go. All the houses look the same. The city was developed in 1958, as a mining community. It happened really fast, so not a lot of thought was put into the dwellings. The people who live there, are the people who moved there because some one in the family was a miner.
When it was discovered that uranium causes terminal lung problems, the mines were shut down. Every one there grew up together, and went through these hardships together. Some people have a lot of money, and collect vehicles. One of the guys I see at the pub always carries a thousand dollars in cash. It fascinates me, and I have yet to tell him of my desire to organize his bills. I've had a job counting cash and depositing it, but to have so much in one's own wallet is mind-boggling.
Anyway, last time I lived in Toronto, I followed my heart and moved downtown. The commute to my Mississauga office job became too much, so I quit, thinking I would get permanent employment. I was so close to the Financial District. How could there not be work?
I had incredible experiences working in events, my default job. It was the perfect place for me. I love meeting new people, and being a part of what is happening. I also ran a dog walking/housecleaning business. And lived off credit. Until I lost my place. I knew which bridge I wanted to live under, but it never came to that. The last few months at my downtown apartment were amazing. I often walked my dog along the trail of Rosedale Valley Blvd.
I can relate to the way the Leafs lost. It may not be the way they see it. The way I see it, is they were scored against when they were one-man down. They came back, and they fought, but in the end, it wasn't enough. It sounds sad. It would be nice if they won. But there is something far more important. They bear the name: Toronto. Yeah, I need a job/money. I am "one man down". But I am in Toronto.
