STRANGER DANGER: Find Out What You Can

[Written for the community, but useful for everyone.]

We have moved since the last community post, entitled Making Neighbors Out of Strangers. It’s funny because then, I was telling you about how I connected with our neighbors in our apartment complex. This article however, touches on how I have connected with our new neighborhood full of houses.

Every community is different. I have noticed that I cannot put my flag in the ground anywhere and expect to find the same type of people. Every community has a different makeup, culture, and history. Something that I have found to be true though, is that my approach to INgaging works everywhere.

In this article, I will take about Research, Step 2 of the INgagement process. Please read the previous community article for Step 1 tips.

To properly research, we must have information to research on. You may recall the story I shared a month ago that mentioned a balloon. That balloon became important to me because of a family stroll through the neighborhood.

Every year, many families to decide to make a stroll through their neighborhoods. Sometimes, they get in their cars and visits other neighborhoods as well. These strolls have many purposes, but the main purpose is for parents and kids to have fun as they celebrate Halloween. We used this opportunity to introduce ourselves to our new neighbors as well as to discover them.

It was a total success. We met such a generationally and ethnically diverse group of people and could not have been more elated. We were so grateful to discover names and hear brief stories of the families. This is where the balloon comes in.

As people shared their stories, I made mental notes (something I will further encourage when we get to Step 3). Such notes, help us to be more INtentional when we INgage with our neighbors. One mental note I took was that a husband shared that his wife was pregnant. Fast forward a few months and the ballon hung from their mailbox. The baby had arrived. To make a longer story short, we figured out how to make a big impression even as new neighbors. Read more about it here.

So, my point is about the stroll – the walk, the jog or even the drive. For us to avoid stranger danger and find out what we can, let’s take walks. Remember, we need information to do research. By simply walking through our neighborhoods, we can discover many things that give us a glimpse into our neighbors.

That Big Green Egg in the driveway could lead to a new grilling buddy. What can you research about the Big Green Egg to make your next conversation more specific? That finely manicured yard could keep you from killing your plants and help you develop a green thumb. What can some lawn and garden research teach you to make your next encounter more intentional?

Those kids playing in that front yard could be your kid’s new best friends, but you may not have discovered them without strolling your neighborhood streets. There are so many things we can learn on a stroll.

We have discovered young families with kids, older families whose kids are getting married, and even older families that need help with things around the house. This is just the beginning. My favorite strolls are when I meet someone else who is strolling. Our next encounter will not be a simple hello and goodbye. Research will have happened between those times and our relationship will deepen.

Stranger Danger exists when strangers are present. Make a neighbor out of the strangers around you. Sometimes we live in the communities we long for. It just takes some initiative to awaken that community.

Until next time…

Photo by Sue Zeng