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“Some lady just ran in front of our window.” I heard my husband say.  “What?” in a perplexed, half-coffee finished voice, I replied. It was quite early in the morning, and I was getting ready for work.  “Oh, Kevin’s out again.” He replied after stepping out the front door to look around.  I stepped out after him and could see the wet footprints, from the morning dew, on our sidewalk right under the office window. Kevin is our neighbor’s cat, who waits for the front door to open and escape outside. If that isn’t funny enough that they have a cat named Kevin, who likes to escape, it is even funnier that Kevin is a female. They didn’t know this when they adopted him, who was really a ‘her’.   Apparently, Kevin is afraid of the street and people, but she likes to escape and run around the house or hang out in the back yard. One day, she got into our fence, and I saw the family outside of our wrought iron fence trying to coax her out. When I went outside, of course, Kevin ran back into their yard.  I told them they are welcome to come into our yard if she ever gets inside, thus the flash of someone running past our window.  This is just one of the fun things you see when living in a neighborhood. Living in the country is fun, living in large open spaces is beautiful, but there is something fun about being in a neighborhood; you get to be, well neighborly.

I enjoy exchanging cell phone numbers, helping neighbors in need, and stopping to talk to other dog-walkers. It is fun to meet new people and share stories of where each of us are from, how we came to live in the neighborhood, and stories of our families and dogs. It is a treat to make new friends and congregate at each other’s houses. We live in a growing neighborhood, which I don’t love due to all the construction and noise, but I do enjoy meeting new people.

I remember after we moved in, receiving fresh baked chocolate chip cookies from one of our neighbors. We became fast friends. We also received various “welcomes” and other gifts from those in close proximity to us. It feels good to be welcomed, and it feels great to return the welcome to other new neighbors as they settle in. Being part of a community is what we are meant to do. We aren’t meant to be complete loners. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy alone time, or excursions with only my hubby, but it’s nice to have the opportunity to share life with others. So don’t forget to be neighborly to those who live nearby and if you live in the country, try being neighborly in the grocery store or coffee shop. It is so easy to bring a smile to someone else’s face just by being kind and being interested in their story.