Last night the girls and I had dinner at our next door neighbours. I made the vegetables and they supplied the chicken and tea. We eat with our neighbours at least once a week and get together for coffee/tea often.
We are lucky that we live in a small culdesac and know at least half of the people who live here. We have had the neighbours on one side of us for the 20 years we have lived here. They are no longer neighbours but family. I looked after the kids when they were little, those kids have looked after my kids. We feed each others animals, water plants, give cooking ingredients etc every Christmas morning it is traditional to have breakfast together. We are really lucky to have this.
We know our other neighbours and the people across the road but maybe because they haven't lived there as long we don't know them as well. My girls are growing up with a sense of community, which I like. It's not all about us, we are a part of a larger community (even though it's only a small street). How many times do we hear about some elderly person dying & nobody realised for years? Maybe if we took the time to say hello or to have a cuppa, that sort of thing wouldn't happen.
Most people today are shut off from their neighbours and communities. We go to work early, come home late and we are too tired. Weekends are "ME' time (unless you have kids and then it becomes "Kid" time. The people living across the road, or behind, or next door rarely figure. And that is a real shame. We are missing out on potential friendships, potential sharing of resources and skills. I have this and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Do you know any of your neighbours?
I've just started a local food group. Right now I'm trying to get my members to join a little plan I have for them. I want them to share a small bit of home grown food or herbs or flowers or whatever. Then I'm going to ask them to give it to their neighbours!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I had excess eggs yesterday so I put them in a basket & got my 8 yr old to take them to a neighbour across the road. When the basket was returned the neighbours young children had drawn us some pictures.
ReplyDeleteSarah that is so thoughtful and what a lovely return gesture!
DeleteI wish I had neighbours! lol
ReplyDeleteWhen we move into a 'neighbourhood' I will make sure I go and knock on doors and introduce myself.
Last time when I moved into our first home, I was so disappointed no one from the street came and introduced themselves. They would have known we were the new owners of the house as it has been for sale. Next time I'm going to go and introduce myself!