Community Voices
Page 6
Wayne’s World
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? by Wayne Geiger
As a kid, I remember watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Although I was a little freaked out by some of the characters in Mr. Rogers, “Neighborhood of Make Believe,” he was always loving and kind and reminded me to be a good neighbor. Whatever that meant. It was always “a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” When you’re a kid, neighbors are just folks you don’t know. When you grow up and move to a community, you define neighbor as the person who lives next door, across the street, or just down the way. The definition is influenced by proximity. Sometimes, having a neighbor can be a pleasant experience. There are other times, when it may not be the most pleasant experience. We would prefer a selection process or an HOA’s list of requirements. We would prefer to ask, “Won’t you be my neighbor? Here, fill out this three-page application and get in line for the psych test. Don’t call us, we’ll call you.” Being a neighbor is extremely important and apparently a hot topic. Just in the last week, I’ve had two specific conversations about neighbors
(which provided the fodder for this article). The first conversation was sparked by a lady who lives down the street. Honestly, I’ve only seen her a couple of times and really wasn’t exactly sure where she lived. Our first introduction was the day I almost hit her with my car. I was pulling out of the driveway and didn’t realize she was walking down the sidewalk and in my blind spot. My wife and chief navigator saw her and said, “Watch out!” I stopped quickly. The neighbor also froze in her tracks. I motioned for her to pass, but it was too late. She, now suspicious of my otherwise superior driving skills, waved me on to go first. Sheepishly, I obliged. It seems she preferred to be in front of me rather than behind me. Fast forward a couple of days and I was carrying some boxes into the house. This same neighbor, wisely in a vehicle this time, saw me and stopped. She rolled down her window and with a concerned look on her face asked, “Are you guys moving out?” “No,” I chuckled, “I’m just moving a few boxes in.” “Oh,” she said. “One of the other neighbors down the street is moving out and I wasn’t sure if something was going on in the neighborhood that I didn’t know
about.” I laughed and responded, “Not that I know of, but let me know if you hear something.” The next day, my wife ran into her (figuratively) and apologized that I, her husband, had almost run her over. Our neighbor chuckled and said, “Oh, don’t worry, I was watching.” That’s excellent advice. Neighbors should keep an eye on one another. That’s what neighbors do. My second conversation about neighbors was at a social gathering. I was talking to a guy I just met. He shared a story with me about how when his father -in-law had gotten seriously ill, he invited him to come and live with him and his wife to spend his final days. “That’s wonderful and very kind,” I said. He noted, “That’s just how I was raised.” Apparently, the conversation struck a deeper chord, or he was raised on Mr. Rogers, too. “That’s what’s wrong with people nowadays,” he frowned, “They just don’t care about anybody else.” He then transitioned in thought, smiled and said, “When I go out of town, my neighbor watches our house and I watch his. I even have one neighbor who gives me a Christmas present every year.” I chose not to share the story with him about almost hitting my neighbor with my car. Being a good neighbor can be challenging. Especially in our everchanging world. Older folks remember the “good ol’ days” when people used to sit out on the front porch and talk about the latest news in the world. People have changed. Neighborhoods have changed. We now have smart phones, no soliciting signs, and Google. In this electronic and cyberspace world, many of us just don’t see our neighbors. We work out of town. At the end of the day, exhausted, we hit the garage door opener, pull in the garage, shut the door behind us, and spend most of our time indoors—never meeting our neighbors. We have hundreds of friends on Instagram and Facebook, but as far as brick and mortar friends, not so much. It seems that the Neighborhood of Make Believe isn’t so distant after all. The ant can teach us a lot about community and being a good neighbor. Ants live and work together in highlystructured communities. Within these
communities, the ant colonies are united toward a common purpose of survival. Although they are a colony, they work together with one mind and purpose. An ant colony is much like a factory. All the ants have different tasks, but one purpose. The queen has the very specific role of laying eggs. Younger ants work inside the nest, taking care of the queen and her brood. Older workers go outside to gather food and defend the nest against enemies. Workers decide which tasks to perform based on personal preferences, interactions with nestmates, and cues from the environment. They live together, work together, and face obstacles together. One ant can’t do much. But, if you’ve even stepped in an ant pile, you know, an ant colony is a major force to be reckoned with. Somehow, they stealthily climb on your shoes and up your leg and after given the command, they all bite at the same time. Ouch! My wife and I have the best neighbors. If you look up “amazing neighbors” in the dictionary, you will find their picture. Our neighbors are always kind, caring, and giving back to the community—always asking for ways to help. They’ve also been extremely kind to us. For the last couple of months, my wife and I have been in transition. We moved out of one house and had to wait for our future home to be ready for occupancy. There was some light construction, painting, etc. During the period of transition, our neighbors welcomed us into their home. They also helped out with basic remodeling of our home and were always there to lend a listening ear or helping hand. I’m not sure what the difference is between “neighbors” and “friends who live really close.” Maybe, they are the same. My overall goal is not to have a good neighbor, but rather, to be a good neighbor. I could learn a lot from mine.
Wayne Geiger is the Pastor of First Baptist Church Grain Valley, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Speech at Johnson Country Community College, and a freelance writer.
