Neighboring Tip of the Week - Make a New Year’s resolution to meet, or re-meet, the neighbors behind the 8 front doors closest to your own.

Happy New Year to you and yours! 2021 is here!

New Year’s resolutions...we’re hearing all about these during this time of year. The history behind New Year’s resolutions is quite rich, as noted by an interesting History.com article. From the ancient Babylonians, to the ancient Romans, to early Christians, New Year’s resolution-like practices have been occurring for many years. Seemingly, humanity has often viewed this as a time to reflect on the past and make changes for the future. We think this applies to neighboring, as well! With that in mind, this week, we encourage you to make a New Year’s resolution to meet, or re-meet, the neighbors behind the 8 front doors closest to your own. 

Just think, who are the people behind the 8 front doors closest to your own? Have you met them? If so, do you remember their names? We recognize that the implications of this tip could be embarrassing. Telling someone who has lived close to you for a long period of time that you haven’t met them or that you don’t remember their name is not so easy. We’ve found that one of the best ways to meet, or re-meet, neighbors under such circumstances is to name any embarrassment that may be present. This can be something as simple as, “Hey, I’m Parvati Patil from around the corner. I'm embarrassed to say I don’t remember your name.” Isn’t getting to meet your neighbors worth a little awkwardness? And, as you engage in meeting, or re-meeting, your neighbors at the start of 2021, please ensure that you do so while practicing physical distancing. All this takes is knocking on your neighbor’s door and then walking a good distance away before they have a chance to open the door and engage in conversation. That’s it! Let’s continue to make the health and safety of our neighbors our number one priority as we begin this new year and coronavirus continues to touch our lives in so many ways. 

At the Neighboring Movement, we believe that meeting the neighbors behind the 8 front doors closest to your own, and learning their names, is the best way to begin neighboring. So, this year, let’s commit to doing so! Let’s intentionally connect or reconnect with these neighbors and learn their names. Let’s begin a new journey of neighboring this year!

Happy New Year, and happy neighboring!