Cloudy

Since I moved to Toronto, there haven't been very many days with sunshine. Most days have been grey, cloudy, and interspersed with rain. Today, however, there is a bright blue sky and plenty of sunshine and I feel the happiest that I have since I moved here.

Although I might not have revealed it explicitly in my previous posts, the first days in Toronto were really tough. While Eli seemed to relish the newness and the busyness of the city, I felt overwhelmed. My reaction surprised me because I am normally very open to change and excited by it but this change was different. Because it wasn't easy and I didn't feel comfortable right away, I began to think that moving here was a mistake and I longed for the comfort of my condo and my familiar friends and my old life.

Now that I've been here for a while, I'm feeling much better about everything. This week we were invited to a dinner party with a bunch of ex-Edmontonians who are now in Toronto. It was a great night. And last week we were at our favourite local pub (yes, we've already found a favourite local pub!) and overheard another young couple mention that they had just moved here from Winnipeg. We went up and chatted with them, exchanged numbers, and they invited us over a couple days later for a drink. Connecting with people feels good so I'm grateful that we've met so many interesting people lately.

I am pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to get around Toronto. The transit system is designed brilliantly making it simple for someone not familiar with the city to get around. Buses run straight down every main street and are named for that street. Therefore, when you get on a "Bloor" bus, the bus stays on Bloor and doesn't veer off in other directions. It makes it very simple to get from one place to another. For someone used to driving everywhere, it's amazing to be able to get around so easily without a car.

Last Friday I went to see the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Ontario Art Gallery which was curated by David Cronenberg. I'm so glad I was able to catch it in its last weekend as it was a fantastic exhibit. Next week an exhibit starts at the Royal Ontario Museum on Italian art and design. There is so much to do here. If I ever complain of boredom then there is something wrong!

On Monday I start my new job and I'm getting excited to go back to work and into more of a routine. My mind feels like it's gone to mush with all this time off so I'm looking forward to putting it back in use.

And, now as I look out the window, I see that it has once again clouded over. Sigh. I guess that I will have to relish the bits of sunshine that come my way however few and far between they are.

Hey sunshine
I haven't seen you in a long time.
Why don't you show your face and bend my mind?
These clouds stick to the sky
Like floating questions, why?
And they linger there to die.
They don't know where they are going, and, my friend, neither do I.