Things I learned from living in Toronto.

I've come to realize that there's a lot more grey area than I initially thought possible. A druggie is not the same as a person who does drugs. A few cigarettes a month won't get you addicted. People have a lot more control than pop culture makes it seem. We are not helpless; there is always a choice, and I find this to be incredibly empowering.

My mother taught me that our habits are etched inside of us, and that there's no escaping who we're meant to be. But I understand that differently from how she means it, in that I think that, with a lot of effort, it is possible to erase the things that we were taught, and teach ourselves to be better than we were before. I think telling yourself that "it's just not meant to be" and "it's out of my control" in situations where it clearly isn't out of your control just because you were raised a certain way is taking the easy way out. It's a lot easier to live a life you do not like if you tell yourself there's nothing you can do to change it.