How are you doing with getting to know the people in your neighborhood? I’ve been working hard at talking with my neighbors and getting to know them more the past couple weeks.
This week, while my family was on vacation, I watched as my 10-year old daughter hopped in the pool at our hotel and in less than 10 minutes she had made a new friend. By the end of the day they had exchanged mailing addresses and promised to write each other. Deep down, I think we all want to be like my daughter…smiling at people we don’t know and making new friends wherever we go. She makes it look so easy!
My neighbor calls himself a loner and keeps to himself mostly. I’m an introvert, but once you get to know me, I’m a very good listener and can get someone to talk about themselves in a very short time. For my neighbor who thinks of himself as a loner, that was a nice hour-long conversation we had on your porch the other day. ☺ I learned more about him and the history of my neighborhood in that hour than I have in the 10 years I’ve lived here.
My soon to be 95 year old neighbor loves to sit on her porch in the warm weather and watch my two girls playing outside. We often join her on the porch, sipping lemonade together, nibbling on homemade cookies, and catching up on our families. Sometimes we take our lawn chairs outside on the grass and sit under the big red maple tree in her yard, and as other neighbors stroll by, occasionally they stop to chat with us.
Smile and wave to those people in your neighborhood! If you listen quietly, you will hear it…the buzz of neighbors talking and getting to know each other.
