Jan
22
2019
Being A Neighbor
Posted in Daily Living 4 Comments
I wondered if I was being too predictable.
I wondered if my routine was a bit boring.
I wondered if there was a sense of, there she goes again.
I wondered.
If I want to walk in my neighborhood, I have a designated route.
I can reverse the direction of my walk, but the route is always the same.
I live in a self-contained neighborhood with one way in and one way out.
At the top of the development, there is a cul-de-sac.
It is one mile from the stone wall as you enter and back to the stone wall again.
I go from the wall to the wall, three times.
I change directions on the last mile just to switch it up a bit.
Three times around; three miles wall to wall.
I see the same neighbors each day.
I know the approximate time I will pass them.
We are on the same schedule.
I, the walker; they the drivers.
We wave and smile each morning.
Sometimes, I pass a neighbor as he walk his dogs.
There is something comforting about the sameness of the routine.
I wondered if it was comforting or just simply boring?
I often listen to pod casts when I walk.
I was thoroughly enjoying a pod cast the other morning.
It was a pod cast from the creativity conference I attended in the fall.
It was impossible to attend every session, so I am catching up on the ones I did not hear.
Something the speaker said hit me.
I pondered it all that day and the next day as well.
The speaker was talking about being a figure in your neighborhood.
A figure in my neighborhood; what did that mean?
If we are going to be a good neighbor, we have to know our neighbors.
People work and are busy with their own lives and activities.
It is possible to go days without seeing our neighbors.
Even worse, it is possible that we do not even know our neighbors.
However, once you get outside, it is a different world.
Once you get outside, you inevitably pass your neighbors as they walk or drive.
Once you get outside, you see the children in your neighborhood.
Once you get outside, you catch the rhythm of your neighborhood.
Every neighborhood has a rhythm.
That rhythm cannot be known when we stay isolated.
It is known when we are a part of the rhythm.
It is known when we get outside and actually see it and hear it.
A figure in your neighborhood, means that you know the name of the family in each house.
A figure in your neighborhood, means that you have talked to at least a few of your neighbors.
A figure in your neighborhood means that you remember what you talked about.
A figure in your neighborhood means that you can begin a conversation where you left off.
A figure in your neighborhood is not boring or predictable.
A figure in your neighborhood may have a routine, but it is comforting.
A figure in your neighborhood means you are invested in that place.
A figure in your neighborhood means THAT place is YOUR place.
One of my favorite writers, talks often about the connection to place.
He writes about the interconnectedness of life.
He believes in hard work and supporting local economies.
He writes about healthy rural communities.
A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define and limit the possibilities of each other’s lives. It is the knowledge that people have of each other, their concern for each other, their trust in each other, the freedom with which they come and go among themselves. (Wendell Berry)
I thought about the importance of place.
People are so transient in our culture.
Jobs move people away from one place and put them in another.
To stay in one place for years and years is almost unheard of anymore.
How can we help to make our place important?
How can we have a sense of place, even if we only live in an area for a short time?
According to Berry, it takes years to ever know your place.
Even then, there is always more to know.
Do we consider the importance of being a figure in our neighborhood?
Do we pray for our neighbors?
Do our neighbors know that we care?
Do our neighbors see us as accessible and invested in the place we share?
I am still pondering.
I am actually glad that I am a figure in my neighborhood.
Even if there is a sense of, there she goes again, that is just fine.
I go with purpose; I am invested in this place.
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37)
Who was a neighbor?
The one who had mercy.
The one who is invested in the place where God has put them.
Go and do likewise.
Gina
This is very interesting to me. The very subject of neighbors , neighborhood and routines is one I often ponder. Perhaps a future discussion over tea ?
Lord willing, I will see you tomorrow
Linda,
I think this would make and wonderful conversation to have over tea. I look forward to that time together. Blessings.
Gina
Amen! Thank you, Gina, for such wisdom and encouragement. Just what I needed to read, having moved to a new neighborhood in The Villages, FL. We are on the way to “being figures in the neighborhood,” but your words give muscle to what we need to be doing. Pray we would be known for “loving the Lord with all our heart and soul, and strength, and for loving our neighbors as ourselves.” I love having this as a great goal!
Oh, Susie, I know that you will be wonderful, warm, and welcoming figures in your neighborhood. Your joy overflows. I will pray that the desire of your heart will be done, all to His Glory. Your neighbors will be blessed by you. I know I am!
Gina