Christmas Day in Toronto, 2011

For the past few years I was telling myself I'd go and volunteer on Christmas Day somewhere less fortunate people were being served with food. I wanted to give my time where it was needed. Occasionally I'd do some research where to go and what to do. It's not as easy as I thought. A lot of paper work, applications and time which is what I find myself being short of. I didn't even know how it works so on Christmas day in 2011 I decided to go downtown Toronto and experience it from not the volunteer's perspective, not the person's in need but from an outside perspective.

The streets were empty. I have never seen downtown Toronto so dead. Decided to walk to the areas which were not the ones tourists would go and visit. As I was getting closer I finally saw some life. There was a man sitting on the sidewalk with a cup for spare change, further up another man was walking away from where people were gathered waiting for donations to go warm up someplace and hopefully take a nap. He saw me walking with my camera hanging from my neck [Lubitel 166+] and decided to stop and chat with me. I learned a lot about his past [too much to write here] and made me realize how much there is we don't know about people, how judgemental we can be and how much we can [wrongly] assume just by looking at a person.

But it wasn't just the poor and needy people I ended up seeing. I didn't expect to see people who were financially stable there, not to receive food but to give food, drinks and some even money or gift cards. I ended up talking to those people/families as well, it brought tears to my eyes hearing them talk about doing it every year, some longer than others, and seeing some of the less fortunate people not even appreciating the help these families were bringing them. I can't judge those people, I'm not in their situation, I try to imagine if I would be as angry if not furious if I was in their situation, losing what I have, what I worked hard to accomplish.

Thanks to seeing the life on the street, especially on Christmas day, I realized how lucky and happy my life is. I have so much to be thankful for which sometimes we forget and take things we have [or don't have ie. disabilities, illnesses, etc.] for granted.

I am thankful for having a roof over my head, the food on the table, the job I go and do every day. I am thankful I have both legs and feet so I can go to places. I am thankful i have my eyes so I see what's around me. I am thankful I am mentally aware what is wrong and what is right. I am thankful I have both arms and hands so I can carry my cameras with me and capture the life around me.

I am thankful.

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All photos  ©2012 Copyright of D'Ania Foto+ [Anne Nawrocka]