neighbors

[asakiyume]

I was in the supermarket, and an old guy came up to me--I thought I recognized him--and he asked, "Are you my neighbor?"

In that moment I realized who he was: he lives at the top of a cul-de-sac in the housing development I live in; his house is unlike any of the other houses in the development, a totally idiosyncratic pattern, never quite finished, with cinder blocks propping up the porch and real wood shingles instead of vinyl siding. I think he lives alone, except for his dog: he always has a golden retriever friend. He grows flowers and vegetables. He's always friendly whenever I'm with my friend, another person in the neighborhood, and we walk past his house.

"Yes, yes I am. You live in the house at the top of the XX cul-de-sac. You have a golden retriever."

He smiled. "Yes, yes, I do. Well. It's nice to see you."

"You too."

I don't know if just putting those words down conveys how special the moment felt.

Back at home one of the little girls who live to my left was sitting inside her house at the front window, which was wide open. She had some kind of tablet in front of her; she was focused on that, but at any moment she could look up and see whatever happened to be going on out front.

Comments

[sartorias]

Great little snapshots of such a peaceful, magical street!

[asakiyume]

^_^

[sovay]

In that moment I realized who he was: he lives at the top of a cul-de-sac in the housing development I live in; his house is unlike any of the other houses in the development, a totally idiosyncratic pattern, never quite finished, with cinder blocks propping up the porch and real wood shingles instead of vinyl siding.

That's wonderful to make that kind of connection outside of the accustomed setting of houses and streets.

[asakiyume]

It was really nice to be remembered by someone whom I see only so rarely! And for him to mention it.

[genarti]

Yes! Those moments of seeing and being seen as an individual part of the community fabric are so incredibly affirming and joyous, I think.

[asakiyume]

They really are!

[wayfaringwordhack]

Big Hearts to connection outside of the pixellated world. I know this online friendship what we and many have, but it is so great when we can make others feel seen in our everyday lives.

[asakiyume]

And when they do this for us, too <3

[amaebi]

Monday the ratcatcher came. It's always a little strange when he calls and comes-- he seems so very enthusiastic about me. I like him, and am generally polite and friendly, but a couple of years ago he told me excitedly that he'd seen me in the local OfficeDepot "with an Asian kid" (Chun Woo). He tells me about how much of the bait is gone, we gossip a bit about rodents, and off he goes for the next three months.

Quite often I wonder whether I seem as "a little strange" to people I encounter as clerks and whatnot.

That's in the Denver area. Last week I drove up to Loveland, a smaller town with lots of agricultural land around it, to wrangle a change in my life insurance because I am senescing. And the whole dynamics of interacting with our insurance agent-- previously unmet successor to our original Colorado insurance agent-- and I found myself wondering what the heck this was. And then I remembered, oh, Loveland! So of course it was big family get-to-know-you time, because that's how you interact in Loveland.

I am so accustomed in most parts of my current life to being non-existent or treated as someone's servant that I feel that much surer that these once-familiar sorts of treating others as human, of enacting community, are important and way too missing.

[asakiyume]

Definitely important--may they spread like dandelions.

Please don't senesce too fast.

[queenoftheskies]

What a wonderful experience!

[asakiyume]

It was a treat ^_^

[mallorys_camera]

You are someone who invites connection. ❤️

[asakiyume]

I'll gladly accept the connections that come!

[oracne]

That's so lovely.

[asakiyume]

Thanks--it was such an unusual, wonderful moment.

[light_of_summer]

What a delightful encounter---thanks for sharing it with us!

The mention of the golden retriever brings back a memory you might like: my late Dad's second marriage was into a household that included a golden dog (retriever? Laborador retriever? not sure), and a family of black-and-white cats. It was apparently fairly ordinary to glance out of a kitchen or living room window and see the dog lying in the carport area, with a black-and-white cat meatloaf-ing on top.

[asakiyume]

Oh that really is wonderful ^_^ Cross-species friendships are so great! (And I would be happy either to be a cat sleeping on a big dog or a big dog having a cat sleep on me!)

[adore]

That's lovely and affirming!

[asakiyume]

It really was! One of those moments when the universe was being kindly ^_^