Aside

Sometimes, it takes a while to appreciate things.

When I lived at home, I only noticed the things about my neighbourhood I disliked. It became monotonous to me. When you live somewhere for so long and experience the scenery for so many years, I think it's bound to happen.

To be blatantly honest, I was also always a bit embarrassed about where I came from.

Which makes little sense, because everything my family raised me with drilled in the idea of equality to my brain. They taught me that I am no less than anyone else based upon how many parents I had, or how much money we made. Nor am I any better than anyone else.

Despite this, I still felt embarrassed telling people where I lived or what I came from.

It took living in another place where I could be around new types of people and experience new ideas to really appreciate who I am, and where I came from.

If there's anything I've ever learned from the time I had with Papa, it's that you don't need to be great, rich or grand to make a difference. You don't have to have a lot to impact someone else's life.

You can bloom where you are, no matter where that is.

It doesn't matter where you are, or what situation you're in, something can always be learned from it.

Neighbourhoods like the South End don't need to be fixed. They can be great neighbourhoods and so can the people in them be great. You just need to give them the opportunity to have an impact on their own community and to grow.

That's when you'll really see people blooming where they are.

The Weakerthans - Aside