Neighboring Tip of the Week - Make an intentional space on your calendar to be present to your neighbors.

Happy Earth Day, neighbors near and far!

catalyst - an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action (Merriam Webster)

There is a chain of coffee shops in Alaska (and one in Seattle, WA) by the name of Kaladi Brothers Coffee. Our intern, Kristopher, visited a KBC coffee shop in Alaska a few years ago and was inspired by it.

The motto of Kaladi Brothers is “catalyst for community.” The company places what they call “community rooms” in their various coffee shops with the idea of providing a space for individuals to come together. They also take a truck to various community events where they not only share free coffee but also introduce their employees to different communities. Awesome, right?

We consider these neighboring tips to be catalysts for community. Specifically, we design them to be catalysts for community within your neighborhood. When it comes to neighboring, we sometimes have to learn to be instead of to do, so this week, we propose that you simply be present to your neighbors.

Being present to our neighbors can manifest itself in different ways. Our neighbors may be seeking a conversation, a cup of coffee, a ride somewhere, a friendly face, or maybe all of these, but here’s the catch - being present to our neighbors doesn’t just naturally occur; we have to be intentional about it. We realize that most people have incredibly busy schedules, so instead of trying to squeeze time in to your current schedule to be present to your neighbors, you may have to say no to some other activity. Along with this, being truly available to your neighbors requires intentional space in your calendar and in your mind.

So, however this may look throughout the week, we encourage you to be present your neighbors.

Happy neighboring!