Alexis Senge JohnsonLast Saturday was the first night that we officially stayed in the new house and it was also the first time that I realized we were part of an actual neighborhood. I’ve been in and out of the new house many times during the painting and moving process, but our neighbors must have realized on Saturday that we were here to stay. It might have been the furniture delivery truck or the cable service provider that were both here that tipped them off. No matter what the reason it was really nice that one of our neighbors came to welcome us to the neighborhood.
Living in the townhouse we barely ever spoke to any of our neighbors. It was probably due to the language barrier and the fact that we tend to quietly keep to ourselves so as not to disturb others. When they all started having late night parties I realized we were the only neighbors in that community who had these traits. At times it felt like we were living in a dorm or college apartment complex due to the way our walls would rattle from their parties and our cars would be blocked into our own driveway. However, we’ve made the big kid jump to a real neighborhood and I’m starting to see why people can like getting to know their neighbors.
The neighbors to the right of us went out of their way to come to the door and drop off this beautiful display as a welcome to the neighborhood token. The mother / daughter team hand crafted the flowers for us and told me they were guessing I would like the red after they had seen the color of my car. I let them know that they were right and she seemed very happy knowing that. The welcome gift is now proudly displayed on our entryway table. I think I’m going to like living in a real neighborhood for a change and I know Coda is loving seeing all the other dogs that are walking around here. Although there are still some boxes left to unpack, it is starting to feel like home.
