Neighboring in Calgary

The block I visited

Last week, I visited some neighboring friends in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They shared about their fall block party. “Do you know what the most common comment was? Many of the neighbors who came said, ‘Why haven’t we done this before? We need to do this more often!’” They are planning another block get-together for January.

It was exciting to hear the stories of neighborly connections forming around the gifts and skills of folks on the block. One neighbor told me that the light in his bathroom went out one evening recently. He wasn’t sure how to fix it, so he talked to the guy nextdoor who offered the use of his voltmeter. That did not solve the problem, so he talked to the guy across the street – an electrician by trade. He came over and quickly solved the problem!

I heard another story about a man, I’ll call him “Rob,” on the block who had been unemployed for about 6 months. He connected with a neighbor who had retired, and they began meeting regularly to create a resume and to work on job applications and interview skills. Rob is now employed!

The other story was about how, through a neighborly conversation, a woman discovered that another woman on her block was teaching a Friday evening painting class out of her house! Needless to say, the class gained a new participant the next Friday!

It was energizing to hear such simple, yet beautiful, stories of neighboring in a neighborhood far from SoCe. The Neighboring Movement really is simple, doable, and universal!