I would like to meet someone on the street.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve walked past someone who I think is cute or looks interesting, maybe we look at eachother, exchange a smile or a bashful look and then we carry on.
It’s hard to meet someone in such a fast-paced city and Toronto has a culture of anonymity. Everyone goes about their own business and tries to avoid everyone else, because there are just too many people. It’s too busy and if you took the time to say hi or chat with too many people, you’d never make it to your destination. Also, the destinations are generally so spread apart that people have no choice but to be in a hurry, else they be late.
I used to have bad feelings about Toronto because it always seemed so impersonal and unfriendly, but unfortunately, I think that the busyness has just become the culture of the city. People just don’t have time to stop and exchange niceties. It’s not that they don’t want to it’s just not what we do.
I lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a few years and the vibe was the complete opposite. People chatted on the elevator, in the store, on the street. It was chattyville.
It was nice, but just to an extent. In some ways you felt like you never had your privacy and being a Torontonian, that was difficult. It was exciting and new at first and felt so warm and welcoming, but after a while it kind of got on my nerves. In Toronto, we ignore eachother and I like that. However, when there’s an emergency or someone needs help, I think Torontonians are quick to step up. I don’t actually think they’re rude or inconsiderate at all; I think they’re a bunch of really nice people who are living their own separate lives and mind their own business but when someone needs help, they’ll be there.
Anyway, I digress.
The point is, when living in a city such as this, it’s difficult to just meet people. Sometimes I wish it was easier or more part of the culture to just start talking to people.
Maybe I should start a revolution and just start asking people out. Sometimes I see someone cute or interesting on the street and I wonder, quietly to myself, what would happen if I just went up to him and said: “Hi, how are you?”
Here’s what would happen: he would think I was crazy.
It’s unfortunate though.
Sometimes I think that you can get more from a person in the five seconds you spend walking past them on the street and giving them a shy smile than spending 20 minutes reading their online dating profile.
*(Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I won’t glaze over what happened with the last guy………….as I expected nothing really changed. He still didn’t want a real relationship or a future with me or a family etc. etc. etc., so that was the end of that. No hard feelings. We just wanted different things. And The Dating Project continues!)
