the six – Vanessa Grillone

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I love the city. Exclamation Point. The skyscrapers, busy sidewalks, welcoming restaurants, and bright lights fill me with excitement. The city is an smorgasbord of contagious energy brimming with inspiration. I love nothing more than exploring the city and sitting on a warm patio in the summer sunshine, watching an endless parade of people walk by. Each with their own destination in mind. Each with their own story.

I’ve lived in the suburbs my entire life but for some reason, it is the city that feels like home. Toronto has no expectations of you and welcomes you as you are. It doesn’t care if you’ve washed your hair that day or where you work. All it asks is that you embrace it. That you take your ripped jeans and oversized glasses and find someone to enjoy it with. All it asks is that while you learn from its beauty and history you also leave your mark. Create something, write a blog post, make a painting of your favourite landmark, share a moment with a stranger, use it wisely.

Toronto holds no judgement and neither do the residents. Everyone is too preoccupied with enjoying their own life that they don’t bother themselves with passing judgement on anyone who crosses their path. This is what I find most refreshing; small towns are great for gossip and unnecessary comparisons. Toronto has no time for that. It only has time for love.

This of course, is just one view of the six. There are loads of people who haven’t had great experiences in or with Toronto. It’s easy for someone who is only there a few times a month to relish in its magic but I truly think that even if I lived in the city I wouldn’t tire of it, I wouldn’t feel jaded. There are so many inspirational business owners, girl bosses, writers, and bloggers in the city to look up to. There are so many alleyways yet to be discovered and restaurants to be tried that a lifetime in the city wouldn’t be enough.

“I love to walk a city, whether I’ve been there once
or a hundred time before.
It’s amazing what sort of inspiration you’ll find
when you steal a second glance.”

~ Erin Hiemstra, Lifestyle Blogger, Apartment 34

xo, Vanessa

It’s incredible how quickly routine and comfort override the desire to explore, take chances, and have adventures. The fragility of life has shown itself to me many times over the last year, more so than any year before. And while my first instinct when mulling over the details of September through to November 2015, is to run, to make a change, to go out into the world and experience everything that I’ve ever dreamed of, what I really need is a new perspective.

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I want to turn my world on its head.

I want to witness all of the old and familiar with a new pair of eyes; actually I’d settle for a different pair of prescription glasses. I’d like to see something different on the drive to work or at least notice something new. I want to reread a novel and have a deeper understanding of it. I need to get outside of my own head and forget about the desire to have, see, and be everything all at once. It’s incredible what you can learn about your world when you take a step back and critique it from a different angle. The word appreciation comes to mind.

With appreciation and contentment comes the emotional balance needed to make the necessary changes, take on new challenges, and be more open to astronomical risks. Doubt need not be involved in curating this new brand of self-awareness.

xo, Vanessa