Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

I have lived on only six streets in my lifetime – five of them were in the foothill communities that lie between the San Gabriel mountains and the Verdugo hills. These small towns within the big city are so special and I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I truly care about what happens here and am willing to work hard to ensure that our traditions, history and quality-of-life remain.

With every place I called home and every street that I moved to I found that neighbors were key to the overall happiness in my daily life. From the 40 kids who lived on the street where I grew up to all the adults who lived near me, everyone had a role in shaping who I am now. After my parents divorced and I was a struggling college student, it was the neighbors who offered me a job so I could pay my own way. As a young professional, I lived alone in a back house with a fence that afforded me some security but my neighbors kept a watchful eye so I would be safe coming home.  As a new stay-at-home mom, the hours I spent with the other moms on the block gave me confidence in my parenting capabilities and prepared me for going back to work. In all those places, it was so great to hang out together and to have that kind of community support.

I do have to admit that in the 24 years that we have lived in our current neighborhood, I don’t know everybody who lives on our street. Families come and go and we are all so busy.  However, I am always so uplifted by the quick, “Hello, good morning” or “Have a nice day” I get while working in the garden or during a walk with our pups. That small bit of kindness goes a long way. When we have time, I love to stop and shoot the breeze with the neighbors, catching up on all the latest news. Our neighbors have been especially caring and supportive during our struggles this year.

Your relationship with your neighbors can really make or break how you feel about your home life. Conflicts can sometimes make it unbearable. Loud parties, reckless behavior, speeding and parking problems can all lead to disputes. We have had a few of those situations. It’s always best if the affected person raises their concern directly before calling the police or code enforcement on the neighbor, giving them the chance to correct or explain a situation. In most cases, the problem usually dissolves within a short time and everything goes back to normal.

I am sort of the “Gladys Kravitz” character in the neighborhood, the nosey neighbor from the 1960s television show “Bewitched” who gets involved if activity on the street doesn’t seem quite right. My neighbors appreciate it, though, if I tell them that some stranger went into their backyards or if a package was delivered that they didn’t realize was there. In turn our neighbors will let us know if they saw a coyote nearby, will give us a jump for a dead battery or check on us during an emergency. I know my neighbors will move trashcans or pick up mail when someone is out of town and mow the lawn for another who is in the hospital. Another happily shares his abundance of fish from his fishing trips. We are always looking out for each other; that is what neighbors do.  These relationships are now more important than ever.

Good neighbors are so vital. They make you feel blessed to live in such a great neighborhood. And, those friendships forged can last a lifetime. Mr. Rogers had the right idea. It’s a beautiful day to be neighborly.

Susan Bolan

susanbolan710@gmail.com

  Susan BOLAN