phillip, grace, and i moved to our home at the end of 2019. it was a strange time because although we were familiar with the part of town, we didn’t know hardly anyone super close by and were challenged by limitations enforced by the pandemic. we ended up bonding with dave, jenn, and gwen down the street for marvel nights, and slowly but surely, we have gotten to know our other neighbors. it’s quite remarkable who you can meet while you’re out walking the dog. multiple times a day. nearly regardless of the weather. 🙂

we have some empty nesters, young parents, singles, couples. folks of all different sorts surround us, and i love this little community we have created. and i know we have really “made it” when the neighbors are comfortable enough to ask to borrow something. i’m not sure i can think of anything more quintessential suburbia than lending your neighbor your time or resources. but i also hope this happens in more urban settings, too!

over the years, we have lent a variety of items and abilities to our neighbors, including but not limited to…

• two eggs so that a mom can make her daughter’s birthday cake
• a quick stop on our daily walk to repair a mailbox
• the mower so that the lady next door does not have to pay a service to do it
• a few visits a day to check on the neighbor’s cats (one of them is named mr. t, lol)
• some elbow grease to help put together some backyard furniture
• juiceboxes so that an ill child can get some fluids in her
• a few nights’ sleepover while a gas leak gets repaired

i do not think i can stress enough how important i think it is to know the folks who live by you. sure, it’s nice to have someone know you in general, but it’s also critical in case there is a real emergency and you need a friendly face and some reassurance. now, go out and build those bonds!