I moved back to Toronto about a month ago after having been gone for a couple of decades. I came back to pursue my dream of having a successful, fulfilling career in a progressive, vibrant city.
I had been living in a smaller city. One that’s quite affordable and quick and easy to get around. One that feels like a big small town where everyone knows everyone, especially in the non-profit, marketing and communications sectors I worked in.
So, when I told people I was trying to move back to Toronto, and once it actually happened, I got ‘the face’. The aghast, ‘are you sure you know what you’re doing?’ face. I know it was given out of concern. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t given my own self ‘the face’. What am I doing? Leaving behind everything I had known for half my life to move to Canada’s second most expensive city. That alone warrants ‘the face’. The fact that I was making the move for a part time job because part of my dream is to build my own freelance and consulting business, well, the worried looks and gaping jaws were understandable.
Their faces (and mine) were saying, “but can you make it in Toronto?”; a giant city that has the reputation of being gruelling and cutthroat.
Thankfully, my first weeks here have not made me jump on the first bus back. Toronto has a brand impression of being cold and cruel, especially by those who do not live here. I’m relieved that, so far, that impression does not ring true. In fact, my experience has been living up to what Toronto has envisioned for itself: a caring and friendly city. That’s one of the city council’s vision statements in its latest strategic plan. It’s part of the overall brand impression that Toronto wants to have. And, that’s what I’ve seen.
I’ve been warmly welcomed by my new colleagues at The Law Foundation of Ontario and by fellow freelancers at IABC/PIC. I watched two teen girls carry the heavy bags of a senior struggling to get off the streetcar. I was moved to see a woman offer her bag of almonds to a young woman who was feeling light-headed. And, I shared a laugh with a group on the bus as a friendly wet lab who just swam in the lake dried himself off on our pant legs. (Seeing that in writing doesn’t sound heart-warming. But it was.)
The big move back to the big city could be the best decision I’ve ever made. Or, it may not be. My emerging brand consultancy business that positions non-profits and cause-based entrepreneurs to do more good for more people may be wildly successful. Or, it may not be. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, I’m going to keep putting the city’s vision of itself, and us, to the test. I’m going to get out there to meet more caring and helpful folks, take advantage of all the markets and bike paths and attractions this city has to offer and try to stay open to, and grateful for, all the goodness and acts of kindness I see among us Torontonians.