I would like it noted that I wrote about a neighbor the day before yesterday so technically this post is "on time"...if you wiggle the rules a little bit.
I love my neighbors. I had previously lived in a neighborhood with rear entry garages. I hardly ever saw my neighbors there because they pulled into their garages and went into their tidy houses without ever coming out front. I saw the guys that would come take care of their lawns but never the people that lived next door. That made me sad. I made a point to meet those neighbors. All lovely people just absent from the front yard life that I lived.
I had small children then. Four of them ages 10 and under. We lived a lot of life in our yard. My children also lived a lot of life in those neighbors yards too (as I am told now that these children are much older and into the confessing stage). I thought that when I was inside they played safely behind the fence. I thought wrong.
When we moved to this neighborhood I vowed to know my neighbors better. I loved the fact that this older neighborhood had driveways. As I drove down these streets I saw people walking dogs and taking care of their own yards. Life. I was excited.
I am sure my four bebes shook up the neighborhood a bit. We are surrounded here by retired folks living in the houses that were built for them in the early 60's. I reintroduced raucous laughter and speeding bicycles and acorn fights. My neighbors seem to like it.
I have one neighbor that gives me the keys to her house so that we can watch over things when they are gone. Because her last name is White, she giggles as she says "Here are the keys to the White house." She says we are the best neighbors ever and I think she means it. Just neighborly I say.
I have another neighbor that makes sure I see the good stuff when she puts things out on the curb for bulk trash pick up. She has given us a dresser, a basketball hoop, a ping pong table, and my favorite coffee table circa 1975. Neighbors do that.
I have a neighbor that has dogs and cats and leaves home quite often. This creates income for my boys as they are called to pet-sit. One time when she was gone her living room ceiling fell in due to a water leak upstairs. Her pet-sitter found the mess and we rushed in to turn off the water and call in the industrial dry-up crew. Neighbors do that, too.
I have this other neighbor that helps me decorate. Or redecorate. She notices when I am in project mode and talks with me about hers. She has babies so she gets bags of baby stuff as our family babies grow. My now big girl plays with her babies every time she can slip from our yard to theirs. Neighbor friends.
I love my neighbors. I love seeing their lives and them seeing ours. Together we make up a neighbor hood of sharing and caring and living and laughing and loving.
That's called life here. We do it together.
Neighbors.
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