By Living Room Realty, October 31, 2019
Community. Why do I feel it on one block and not another? Every week I drive to an old house in the Alberta Neighborhood that my business partner and I bought to fix up. I get a fuzzy feeling in my gut as I pull up in front of it. Not because I feel great about where the house is in terms of completion, we still don’t have walls, no… its something else.
While I often dread working on it, I’ve been trying to pinpoint what it is about this place that makes me smile every time I pull up to it. I’ve decided it’s the neighbor’s that live around this old house. I’m not sure if any of them own computers or TV’s or smart phones, I know they must all have those devices and go to work each day, but every time I go over, one of them will walk out of their front door, come clear across the street and greet me. They proceed to take the time to ask me what I intend to work on that particular day, quick to give encouragement, often noting that the house is lucky to have Chris and I. On occasion they will ask if they can help me extend my heavy ladder or ask if I have things to put in their truck for a dump run. Larry has even brought me ice tea when I have fallen off that high ladder. I notice these folks sit on their porches when the sun is out and hear them extend hellos to those that walk by. They lend a hand to one another by edging each other’s grass strips and pulling in one another’s recycling cans after the truck goes by. Homeless folks have first names on this block. This group of neighbors has worked to build this slice of heaven by being mindful. Whether they know it or not, I feel their kindness every time I am over there.
It makes me miss having that same sort of community vibe on my own street in SE Portland. I must work harder to cultivate it if I want it to feel similar, I know that. But in the mean time, I will feel gratitude that we have been taken under the wings of this tight-knit block and treated so wonderfully. Community – It’s pretty incredible to watch it in motion when its healthy and thriving.
