October 08th, 2017

Time to Get to Know Your Neighbor

This afternoon into the evening we did something very old school, old fashioned.  We had a neighborhood potluck.  Over half if not more of the neighbors came.  The new ones and the long-timers like me.  There were young families, retired couples, widows and widowers, single guys like me and more.  I saw beards and tatoos, kaftans and sportsjackets, little kids in play-clothes, jeans, shorts and t-shirts.  It was life across the spectrum, right here on my little one block street in the area between the Woods Streets and the Sungolds homes, just north of the Plaza and the busy railroad tracks.  

When my neighbor and I mused it would be fun to have a street party, we thought it would be nice.  Then she finally kicked the thing into high gear and tonight it happened, right here, in my driveway.  No matching chairs or tables, an array of tables clothes, plastic utensils and silverware, all together to serve the most amazing contributions to a potluck I have seen in a long time.  And almost everything was homemade!  Who does that any more?  My neighbors, that's who!!  From casseroles and salads, to baked stuffed pastry to and fresh made breads.  Then desserts including cookies, pies, and russian tea cakes.  Heaven...and leftovers fill my fridge.

But above the food and and drinks, what struck me most was that this eclectic mix of people gathered together just to become acquainted with each other.  And it was more than polite conversation I'd say.  My neighbors genuinely seemed interested in who they lived with on this street called Del Ray Court.  And of course we all were curious about and interested in what we were doing or had done with our homes.  It was for me an evening of pure socialization, sharing food and lighthearted gossip, and the company of those we live nearest.

In these days when political feelings seem to be tearing friends and families apart, hurricanes and earthquakes come seemingly weekly if not daily and shootings...oh the shootings...in times like these, its nice to know we can come together as neighbors and friends...still...and just get to know each other and break bread....together.   Maybe if we all held events like this one, we would really come to find we may be different on the surface, but inside, we are pretty much the same.  Maybe then we could do  something more, together, than just pray, mourn, repeat.*

*If you can, you should find and listen to Steve Hartman's piece from 60 Minutes tonight called Pray, Mourn, Repeat.  When will the last straw come?  And as Hartman ended his peace, all we are asking is that those who can, try to do something other than pray, mourn and repeat.   
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