The other night my husband and I rode our bikes around the neighborhood to enjoy the warm spring evening. We came across fellow neighbors out on walks and in their driveways and we stopped to chat. When we returned home I thought, what a lovely thing it is to have neighbors that you enjoy saying hello to, and who reciprocate in kind. Friendly faces and waves to unexpectedly brighten your week. It made me wonder if the joy of these small interactions helps prove the social nature of our species. We as a society don’t live the communal way we once did, and it’s to our own detriment. What if we lived our lives on the cul-de-sacs and sidewalks of our neighborhoods? It’s something I’d like to (re)commit to for the coming seasons for sure.
This week I also saw an longtime friend after way too many years. It felt so good to reconnect with someone who really cares about me and the bond we once had, even though it feels as if we no longer know even each other. It was so great to know that the passing of time (plus marriages and kids and careers) has not broken that. It was just a quick reunion as both of us were on the clock, but it was a huge highlight of my week. I left wanting more time - more time to know her now as a mother as well as the friend she’s always been.
The relationship wins just kept coming. We had a good friend and neighbor very sweetly offer to bring us dinner, and while she’s somewhat of a familiar face to my kids, she has never been over to our house, just one block from hers. (See neighbor socializing goal above!) Within one minute of walking in the door Gus invited her to see his room - the ultimate kid compliment. Her interactions with him made me think of the great article I read this week - How to Be a Good Friend to Someone With Autistic Kids. She nailed it.
There was one more event to blow the week out of the water. Another meal train volunteer, but this time someone I have never even met. She is a mom from our preschool, with a son two years younger than my preschooler, a kid who my son has never mentioned. Her two-year-old told her nightly for the past many weeks about his school friend with a broken leg, so she asked him, should we bring him some dinner? (This is exactly what I would have done if my kid was on the other end of this conversation!) So they (I’m sure he was a lot of help) brought us a fully homemade meal of lasagna, bread, roasted carrots, cookies and cold drinks! And literally we don’t even know them (yet). However, I am hoping she becomes a new best friend because it feels like we have a lot in common. Obviously she's the nicest person ever.
This feels like true relationship wealth - strangers, neighbors and friends coming in and out of our lives not only when we really need the support, but in low key, daily interactions, or for one a long hug after years apart.
