When I think of a good neighbor I think of the famous words of Tim the Tool Man Taylor's next door neighbor, good old Wilson, "Hidey Ho Neighbor!" What a neighbor he was-continuously friendly and always giving the Taylor family (especially Tim) sound advice. Despite his weird antics and unique hobbies, Wilson made for a great neighbor and, in my opinion, modeled what neighbors should be like: relational and intentional.
Today, our society is all about privacy. Privacy isn't a bad thing, but it's almost as if we don't want to let anyone in-especially our neighbors. They are strangers and can't be fully trusted. This attitude leaves us with our fenced-in yards and closed garages. We say hi in the moments we both coincidentally walk out to the mailbox or put out the recycling bin but other than that there's hardly a relationship.
I was recently talking to some friends who are trying to move from the house they have been living in for years. They admitted to me that one of the most difficult parts about moving from their house full of memories will be leaving the community they have built up with their neighbors. All the gatherings for bible studies, parties, sports games, and holidays—they have experienced it all together. I realized how rare it is to hear about neighbors sharing such a community with one another. I thought about my own neighbors and the handful of conversations I’ve had with them, how little I actually know about their lives. When did things change? When did we stop realizing the importance of those who share a street with us, a yard with us? Why is that we can work so hard to build into the relationships at work or at school, but not even those who live a few feet away from us.
Years ago, when my family first moved into the house we live in now, our neighbor across the street brought over a cake and welcomed us. From that night, a relationship grew between our two families and memories upon memories sprouted from that act of kindness. We were strangers and yet we slowly let each other into our homes and into our lives. A community was formed. I can’t help but think what our lives could be like if we just began talking to the strangers who just so happen to be our neighbors. What kind of relationships could form and what kind of impact we could have on each other’s lives. What would it look like if we hung outside the fence, kept that garage door up just a little bit longer, or lingered by the mailbox as we read our mail. What would it look like if we just invited each other in?
