There are different kinds of friends, but the ones who you feel you can always keep close to your heart and never go away are the neighbors.
We have all had that one group of friends growing up that we would find the first moment walking out our front door, playing in the lawn, and just join them. They might not be the same ages, but it wouldn’t have stopped a tight bond that formed.
Nearly every day growing up, I found myself outside with my neighbors, playing games, sharing laughs, and even a little rough-housing. Evidently, there were older boys in that circle so we had to get tough. It was two girls against two (sometimes three) boys. On the cold winter days, was when we spent sledding and having snowball fights, then all going into one friend’s house for hot cocoa and sitting by the fire. Sometimes we’d even stay up late, sitting around on the grass outside until it would be as late as midnight. Our parents never got mad at us because we would just be right outside our houses.
With the three to two balance of boys and girls, it was bound to get a little crazy. The older boys were athletic, rough, and rowdy, and they’d prefer basketball and play-wrestling over Barbies. If I’m not mistaken, I also recall a few “boys vs. girls” arguments as well. But in the end, my girl partner-in-crime and I could always count on them being there. As we got older, we got a taste of adolescence drama and stepped into the real world. In turn, they developed a kind of big-brother protectiveness for us that they’d be a little too proud to admit, but we could tell it was there. Through the boy drama, the high school fights, and the mindless venting, they always had our backs and stuck with us.
Having a neighborhood pack like you guys made everything so much easier. Even though we were either older or younger than each other, our chemistry came quickly and easily. There was never a chance to have nothing to do on a nice day because we were all just a doorbell away.
They say your brother or sister is your first best friend. My neighbors and I didn’t just become each other’s friends. We became part of each other’s families -- people to hold on to through the good and the bad, and people to protect and care about like family. We went from strangers just living next to each other to brothers and sisters.
These are the kids you know will always have your back. You did everything imaginable growing up. And although there were some phases in life when you feel like you’ve drifted away, or grown apart, you can always know that they’re always there for you at the drop of a hat for comfort or just someone to hang out with. If a friendship can withstand a distance like that, it can withstand basically anything. Their houses became your second home, and you got used to calling their parents “Mom” and “Dad” instead of “Mr” and “Mrs”.
Although we all had to grow up, and we made new friends along the way, and we choose different paths for colleges, I know without a doubt that the kids in my neighborhood have some of the same semblance of “kids” I’m lucky to have in my life right now. While we all might not be as close as we once were, you know you can still shoot them a text or post selfies with them on Instagram and it feels like no time has passed.
So shoutout to my neighbors that became more than just my neighbors. Thank you for being part of my family, and thank you for the unforgettable memories. I wouldn’t have wanted to grow up with anyone else.
