IT IS GOOD TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS. Socializing is difficult at first, but it puts everyone at ease.
You can live next door to people for an entire year, and only smile and greet each other in passing. BUT! What if...
...what if you take the time to find time to invite them over for coffee?
Today we're impersonal. We text each other when possible. We wave or say hi on the elevator or as we get into our car in the driveway....
It's often better to meet someone sooner, than later. This happened to me twice. I was on a hi/bye situation for my neighbors for a year and a half. Out of the blue we were having a big party and invited them over. We hit it off totally.
The next 6 months was a lot of fun socializing, talking, etc.
Then it happened...
"My job got a transfer. I'm moving away", the neighbor said
I now think of all that wasted time we spent not doing anything more than casual greetings for the year and a half prior. They turned out to be great friends.
So sometimes you have to take the risk and meet your neighbors. At worst, you won't like each other, and that's okay, just go back to the casual hi/bye basis.
I do recommend you stay semi-private with your discussions though in the early days. You won't know how much you can trust someone until several months pass. So keep your discussions to current events, the weather, your garden, what's on TV, those sort of things.
The last thing you want to realize is that your neighbor is a chatty cathy who spreads all of your news with the rest of the neighborhood.... because things get lost in translation the more the story is told. (Remember that pipeline / telephone game in school? Ever do that... stories get distorted the more they are told. So watch out for that.)
But the possible reward of meeting nearby friends outweighs the possibility of meeting them when it's too late and one of you moves out of the neighborhood.
Enjoy your time with them, and have fun.
Socializing is difficult at first for everyone (your neighbors included), but in the end, it puts everyone at ease.
During these economic times, sharing big cookouts / bbq / loaning tools / getting help with something can really help both neighbors too. That's the side-benefit.
I'm on day 4/30 of my positivity challenge.
What do you think? Feel the same? Is it awkward to try and invite your neighbor over for coffee? Does it seem too forward? Any suggestions?
I'm good at socializing for about 45 minutes a day with face time, so i try to use that wisely. (-: I'm a cubicle dweller, first class.
Well if you need someone to look after your dog, or cat, or need to borrow a shovel, face time won't help.
I'm fully expecting you to reply with:
Okay... well I tried. lol. :)
you got it ! no, i mean i do meet-and-greet and all those things... just as it's less than 45 minutes/day (-:
i am always friendly with my neighbors. I was "lucky" enough to hit it off with my direct next door neighbor, and he is an absolute social butterfly, so I more or less tagged along in his social conversations with other neighbors.
I think it's a great thing to know and be friendly with your neighbors. You never know when it might come in handy if you need help with something!
Also, lasting friendships are good too :)
That means you'd be a good neighbor to me most probably. That's nice to hear. Your neighbors are lucky to have you in their neighborhood then. :)
Thank you! I like to think in general that I am a "good neighbor", but I won't delve too deep into that since there are biblical implications :)
From the sound of it, I'm sure that your neighbors are lucky to have you near them as well!
Great advice @intelliguy - it's best to put peoples' minds at ease and look out for each other. If I am ever fortunate enough to buy my own home I will definitely introduce myself to any potential neighbors beforehand to feel things out.
My neighbor gives me eggs and fresh veggies he is super nice
Great post man, I totally agree with you, is really hard for me to socialize with neighbors, I used to live on a complex of apartments, and always say hi to a couple who lives upstairs, one day thy invited us for a beer, and a couple of months later they ended up being at my birthday party, as really cool friends.
It's always wise to stay friendly with your neighbours - after all, they're the ones that will keep an eye on your house when you are away!
How can people socialize with their neighbors when they believe TV propaganda that everyone is your enemy, treath or potencial terorist? When they stop believeing that machine is telling truth, things gonna change.