Tip of the Week - Ask a neighbor to help you out with a spring project.

The sunny weather is shouting that spring is right around the corner. Take this opportunity to neighbor!

Think of a spring project you have on your to-do list. You may need to clean the attic out or put away your winter clothes. Invite a neighbor to help you!

If you feel a little bit awkward about asking for help rather than the usual "neighboring" act of offering help, remember, no project is too small. You may just need an extra set of hands for five minutes - that's a great thing to ask from a neighbor.

Neighboring has two elements: the discipline of sharing and the discipline of borrowing. With this experiment, we're dipping into the borrowing side.

Here's the idea behind it: We live in a culture where we can get things we need quickly, cheaply, and without much social interaction. Think Amazon Prime.

The discipline of borrowing gets us out of that mindset in a couple of ways. First, the need to borrow forces us to accept that we don't have everything we need and could use help from others. Second, it helps us build relationships, which often takes more time and work than simply meeting our needs on demand.

Chances are, you may be able to do your spring project yourself. You may even be able to hire someone to do it for you. Instead, practice the discipline of borrowing and ask for some help from a neighbor. They might even ask you to return the favor. 

Don't forget to keep us in the loop of your neighboring experiments. On Facebook or Twitter, post a before and after picture of your spring project. As always, use the hashtag #neighboringmovement.

Happy neighboring!