52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 25
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Neighboring Tip of the Week - Cook a recipe for which you are missing an ingredient and ask a neighbor for the missing item.
For those of you that struggle with the awkwardness and fear that can accompany neighboring, this week’s tip is for you. For you chatty Kathy’s out there, this week’s tip is for you. For everybody else...this week’s tip is for you, too!
Our neighboring experiment this week is one of my favorites for a couple of reasons:
It’s an excuse! We get that neighboring can be awkward. While many have mastered the art of door-knocking and neighbor interviewing, the idea makes some break out into a sweat. However, we have found that if you have an excuse, like to share extra tomatoes or borrow a cup of flour, it’s much easier to break the ice with a neighbor and have a conversation.
It’s intentional! If you don’t have neighboring anxiety, but you struggle finding opportunities to interact with your neighbors, all that’s lacking is a little bit of intentionality. With this experiment, it’s not by mistake that you’re cooking something that calls for an ingredient you don’t have. Instead, you are intentionally finding a recipe that gives you the chance to foster interaction with your neighbor.
Whatever you decide to make, we hope it brings a new acquaintance, a good conversation, or maybe just a pinch of oregano. As always, continue to share your neighboring adventures!
Happy neighboring!