After 5 days hanging out in Toronto, I'm writing this from Terminal 3 at Pearson reflecting on many things from this trip. It was full of fun, laughs, drinks and good friends. But it was also tinged with sadness for our fellow human beings.
I travel to the Big Smoke usually every 3 to 4 months, so I have a pretty good sense of what the city is about. But I don't think in all the times I've been there before, have I seen such an abundance of homeless people. I often see the usuals every trip - the guy who plays the bagpipes at the corner of Queen and University or the big guy with his guitar and amp on Queen Street just up from Nathan Phillips Square. There were many new faces this time. One of them was Neena.
Neena (the name I've given her) was this tiny little asian woman. She maybe stood 5'3 and was about 40 if I had to guess. I saw her the first day I was there as she approached a woman sitting down from me and asked her for a smoke. She was a little chatter bug, and the happiest and most cheerful homeless person I've ever seen. A little spitfire who walked around in her little happy go lucky world, always in sock feet with no shoes on. The second day I was there I saw her again - twice! The second time was coming back from drinks with a friend on Queen Street. We crossed by each other at a walk light, and as she went by I could hear her repeating to herself, "my karma must be underneath the ground somewhere." I saw her every day after that as well.
On my final day today, I walked over to Nathan Phillips Square which has become a home for many of the city's homeless, particularly at night. I had walked through it on Thursday night, where in the shadows of Toronto's down time, I could see every second bench covered with a body who was bundled up for some sleep before the sun came up and they had to find elsewhere to go. Today as I walked through, I looked over and saw Neena once again. For the first time she was wearing shoes! They were these stylish high heeled shoes and she also had a new fancy purse. She walked awkwardly in the shoes as she clearly was not used to wearing them, but she was proud as spit and walked around waving hi to everyone who came across her path.
I wanted to go over and sit with her and ask her what her story was and what she meant when she said "her karma must be underneath the ground somewhere" but I didn't have the courage. Instead, I watched her from a distance admiring how happy she was despite her circumstances, but felt sad for her at the same time. The one thing obvious about her and many of the homeless, is that they are battling many mental issues that likely will contribute to them never becoming a normal part of society again. They will always roam the streets, mumbling stories and rage to themselves, never seeking help and perhaps never being offered help because the resources to deal with the homeless just aren't there for the amount of people who now are among those stats.
Many times when I was unemployed, the thought crossed my mind: what if I just can't get back on my feet and wind up homeless. Would I be able to survive? Fortunately I don't have to answer that question now, but after seeing Neena on this trip, I'm grateful for the life I do have, even if I'm not rich. I have a roof over my head. I don't know if Neena ever will ever have that again, but I'll look for her the next time I go back to Toronto when the winter has arrived and see how she's doing. I hope she'll still be that chatty, happy, little spitfire I first encountered.
Tia
No comments:
Post a Comment