Living Simply: The Art of Neighboring

     I'm reading this book called the The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon. I will tell you up front, it's written from a Christian's perspective, to follow what Jesus said when he told us to love our neighbors. I don't want you to be surprised nor offended, but it's definitely worth reading for anyone, anywhere, and here's a few reasons why:

1.  Most of us can't name the closest neighbors to us anymore. Even if we know their first names, or maybe even their last names, do you really KNOW them? What they do for a living, where they're originally from, what their passions or goals are, etc. We just go garage to garage, or driveway to driveway, or maybe covered parking space to covered parking space - with barely a wave and a quick, "Hi!". 

2.  If we knew our neighbors better, it would make a safer neighborhood. People would recognize who should and shouldn't be there. Knowing each other better leads to communication when something looks out of the ordinary. As an example, our neighborhood has a private Facebook page where we can alert others of suspicious white vans parking/lurking in the area, or if something got taken from someone's yard, etc. We've used it to borrow, buy, or sell things from each other as well. It's become a nice little community that's started including group "block party" type events, especially for kids to get together.

3.  When you know your neighbors, no one has to be alone or helpless. If there's a widow, sick elderly man, single mom struggling, someone who lost their job or just had surgery, others can jump in as a group and help out. Maybe it's just babysitting a few hours for a doctor's appointment. It could be mowing the lawn or weeding for someone who can't do it anymore. If someone is sick, just been through a funeral, or just had a baby, others can prepare meals for the family. The possibilities are endless.

     There's other reasons why this book is a great idea, but I understand for introverts like myself, or it seems weird making contact with next door neighbors you've already lived next to for years without previous contact, this isn't easy. Maybe the thought of possible rejection is scary. Just remember, it's probably just as scary to them. There's great break the ice type of things you can do, some as simple as just spend time in front of your home instead of the back. Check it out, this is the PERFECT time of year to have an excuse to say hello, or bake cookies and bring them to those closest to your home.

Enjoy the read.