I don’t know, maybe it is that I am just getting older and more grateful for the things around me, but I cannot even begin to explain how much my neighborhood means to me. It’s just that there’s something pretty amazing about a tribe around you that you can flip-flip favors, kids, stories and carpooling with.
Oh, you are out of town? Sure, I can bring that package in for you. Absolutely, I can water your garden. You need your guinea pigs fed for a week? We can make that happen. Need help moving a fridge? Be right over. Messy garage from all the kiddos over all the time – surprise makeover when you return from a getaway.
Or how about getting a text checking for free time in your schedule to walk the neighborhood – not just having friends hold you accountable to get moving, but the best part is when that text ends with, “I’m having a bad mom day and need to escape.”
Because, man, does it feel good to not be alone in that feeling sometimes. I mean, honestly, we are all in that boat some days, and having other moms around to chat with about it brings some clarity to just how hard this mom gig can be. Sometimes, we offer suggestions, many times we shake our heads in agreeance and say nothing because really all they or I need is a little vent session to rejuvenate before heading back in to be the best mom we can be.
And while you may think that we power-walk three-straight miles interruption-free, the truth is we rarely make it around the block without a welcomed distraction of catching up with whoever is outside at the time.
Sometimes, it is checking in on a health issue with a neighbor. Other times, it is welcoming a new puppy that just found a home inside the neighborhood. There are even times that Mr. Ken’s garden is doing so well that he will call you over for some fresh cucumbers. Regardless, these are just more reasons why I love this neighborhood.
And then you add in all the kids in their neighborhood, and it just keeps getting better. Here, we have a whole range of ages from under 1 to teenagers who, while they can be mouthy and have some attitudes, I am learning just how helpful teenagers can be, especially with the younger kiddos in the hood. While my kiddos are in between those ages yet, it is kind of nice to have little babysitters around when us Mamas need to catch up – you know, the fun talks where we love and brag on our kids instead of the walking and venting about them.
Plus, having all these kids around means that my girls are rarely friendless. They pretty much always have an option of someone to hang with, play Barbies with, put on make-up with, swim with, play baby dolls with – you know, anything they can do to make messes with.
Each one of these kiddos bring little personalities with them, which has been so fun to watch develop more and more over the years. Before any get-together, you already know which kid is going to bring a million questions, which one is bringing the competitiveness, which one is bringing stories for days, which one is bringing the hugs, and which one is going to bring the sass (OK, we may have a few of these, and two of them already live with me every day, ha.)
Regardless, every single one of them brings love, fun and friendship to the table as the exact little person that they are — and one of my favorite parts of this neighborhood is that we all welcome and love on these babies — whether they are our own or not. They are all our littles to look after.
While we had always been friendly and gotten together in our neighborhood, I feel like, in the last few years, (pandemic inspired due to our inability to get out of the hood) we have gotten so much closer as a neighborhood. And I am here to tell you with such a thankful heart that I am so grateful for all of the relationships built full of friendship, love, fun, favors, checking in and helping each other out.
There is honestly no place else in the world where I would rather live than inside this little neighborhood of mine. It’s not just where my house sits, it is home.
