The People in My Neighborhood

Hello, My Friend!

Well, I’m Home “Sweat” Home. As the memes say, it’s only “preheating” here in Florida, but it’s already pretty hot. It was a nice respite in Wisconsin and then North Carolina. And now, let the sweating begin.

This morning, Kevin and I got back to our daily morning walk. I wondered today how long we’ve been doing this specific route, and we figured it’s been since we’ve been empty nesters. That’s 12 years! We’ve done other routes before this one, but we’ll probably never change now that we have our specific pattern. Our neighbors wouldn’t know what to do if we didn’t exit our house at 6:45 every morning and start the process.

On these jaunts, we’ve tried solving the world’s problems, but I’m afraid we’ve failed in that department. But one thing we do with excellence is planning the evening meal. It’s the first topic of conversation. All other subjects pale compared to what we will eat that night.

There is one stretch of road that we always hope to “win.” What constitutes winning is having no cars turn the corner ahead and come down that street while we’re walking on it. Sound dumb? Leave us alone! This is how we have fun! We utter oaths if cars do turn down the road, admitting our defeat. But, oh, those days when no cars show up! We revel in our “win,” and Kevin pronounces it a “Victory!” (To which I always respond, “There’s victory in Jesus!”)

There are the same people we pass regularly on our walk. We’ve named all of these people. Not because we actually stop and chat, uh-uh, we don’t have time for that, what with all the world’s problems to discuss. Instead, we name these people according to noticeable characteristics. Maybe you do the same. Here are a few of the folks we see most mornings:

  • “The Loper & The Trailer” – – This is a couple that walks the opposite way of us each day. The Loper (the man) is out front with a rather large dog on a leash. His gait is rather “loping,” and thus, he’s named as such. The woman trails behind, and so has been dubbed The Trailer. Sometimes, the Loper is without the Trailer, but never without his dog. (And rarely is he without a rather large doggie poop bag.)
  • “My Friend” – – My Friend is someone we rarely see anymore, but on rare occasions we meet and she is so friendly! She likes to say a word or two in passing, which Kevin has no time for. He likes to get from Point A back to Point A as efficiently as possible. Kevin gave her the name since I always want to chat a bit more than he has patience for.
  • “Grandpa” – – Grandpa & Grandma receive their two young grandchildren bright and early every morning. Grandpa is waiting in the garage, ready to open the van door when the kids drive up and help get the kids out. Grandma is sometimes there, hanging back a bit, a cup of coffee in hand. Some days, I look at them with envy and think, Lucky! They get to be with their grandkids EVERY day! And other days, I think, Phew! They take care of their grandkids EVERY day??
  • “Old Gary” – – My good friend, Kit, is married to a man named Gary. This guy in our ‘hood looks like an older version of him, so—Old Gary. I’m always a little nervous that I might call Kit’s Gary “Old Gary” when we see him. Gary—I know you read these emails. If I ever slip up, now you’ll know what I mean. You and Kit are the least “old” people I know!!
  • “Three Dog Night” – – This woman walks three little dogs all at once. She moves along at a pretty good clip, unscrambling leashes and talking on a hands-free phone the whole time, every time. Talk about multi-tasking.
  • “Our Bus Driver” – – Towards the end of our walk, we often encounter an elementary school bus driver when we’re getting back close to home. At some point during the last few years, we got into this thing where we wave exuberantly, and he beeps the horn back at us a number of times, usually about five or six beeps. We count the beeps and always marvel when we get a high number. The number of beeps seems to correspond with the driver’s mood. You should hear him on the last day of school! Man, he’s beeping that horn all the way down the street and off into the distance!

There are more, but these are the principal players. If we haven’t seen any of them for a while, we wonder if they’re OK. And if we’ve been gone a while, now and then, someone may ask us where we’ve been. We don’t really know any of these people, but they’ve become part of our world since they’re part of our neighborhood.

Thinking back about all of these faces we’ve seen over the years makes me recall all of the friends I’ve had here who have moved to other places. Phew, there have been a lot! I visited with one just this past weekend as we were in Charlotte. It was so good to see her and catch up with her. (Hi Ann!) There are many people I wish I would see walking down the street in my neighborhood—friends who have moved away and family who live far away. How cool would it be to turn a corner and see an old friend walking where the Loper & the Trailer usually walk! Or what about seeing one of my kids drive that bus by and have them beep at me and Kevin! A girl can dream.

I like to remember that even if I don’t see these friends and family members a bunch right now, there are other streets we’ll be walking where I will see them someday. A place where the Main Street is gold! (So it says in Revelation 21:21.) Of course, I don’t know the exact living arrangements in Heaven, but I do know they last forever and that I’ll see those I love there. We’ll go on really long walks and even talk to Jesus face-to-face! Maybe He’ll go on walks with me, and we’ll think of funny names for passersby.

Wherever your feet take you this week, I hope you find friends around the corner. And may your bus driver beep like mad at you!

Written with love – – – Patti XOXO

“… I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like youI’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you
… So, let’s make the most of this beautiful daySince we’re together, we might as well sayWould you be mine? Could you be mine?Won’t you be my neighbor?”
Fred Rogers