Toronto The Good

I have had a number of people point out to me lately that Toronto is a mean-spirited City filled with non-smiling, stressed-out creeps who never make eye contact or talk to strangers. I don't happen to agree with this opinion. As recent as this morning, my bus driver told me that, on his previous run past my stop, he waited an extra four minutes for me, not wanting me to miss my bus to work on this very cold morning. What a sweetheart! Not all TTC drivers are this nice. There is good and bad here (just like everywhere else) but I happen to think that the good outweighs the bad. Apparently this glass half-full philosophy seems to be working.

I often read the Acts of Kindness section in the Toronto Star and this story touched me today because it is just SO Canadian:

In December, I went to the Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Philips Square. As I was sitting at the side of the rink taking off my skates, a little boy about 6 or 7 walks up and asks "Are those your skates?"

I answered ‘Yes’ and wondered if he thought I had stolen his skates, since I wear boys hockey skates. He said: "Oh, I don't have skates." For some reason, I blurted, "Do you want mine?"

I told him to first ask his mom. He ran away excited and his mom asked if it was really okay [and I said yes.] He was jumping up and down in excitement. After he put on the skates, I watched him take off with a big smile.

Two weeks later I was in the recycling room in our condo. Residents leave items for others to salvage. I found two Bauer boxes with new skates, both in my size!

I gave one pair to a friend who was there the evening I gave the boy my used skates. She shook her head and said: “You give away one pair, and you get back two”!
J. Madden, Toronto

For more stories, click on Acts of Kindness here.