neighborhood store

Do you know your neighbor? How about the house just past your neighbor? Most of the people I know do a good job at knowing the families that live near them. But it seems common in the U.S. for people to not associate with their neighbors. Why are we drifting toward this commonality? Is it important to know your neighbor? I think it is, and helpful too. As we building friendships we build a support system. A trusted neighbor can be so many things. A trusted neighbor can help watch your home when you are away, he can feed your pets, or water your plants. A big plus is that you can run to your neighbor’s house to borrow something you need when you are in a pinch, even if you never become long-time friends.

My oldest brother lived in Finland for about two years. He posed the question one holiday: “What would people do if this country (U.S.) shut down like Finland does?” He says that there is not one store open on holidays, the whole country shuts down. What wound happen in the US of A if all the shops were closed for the holidays? More and more stores and entertainments are opening up on holidays; anything to make the extra buck. That is the sword of capitalism! Anyway, would you get along if there was nothing open on Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas? More importantly, if someone knocked on your door and asked to borrow a small quantity of some household staple would you generously accept?