There are a lot of retired folks living in the subdivision. There are also several families with very young children and some families with kids in adolescent and teen years. If you were inclined to learn the story of each family you would find a patch work of life. You would also find the common threads making the neighborhood. With each individual, couple or family moving in the dynamic of the neighborhood changes a little. It changes more so when they move out of the neighborhood.
It has become more and more popular for retired or more mature folks to seek out the commonality of the 55+ neighborhoods or developments be they single homes, condominiums or apartments. I suppose it would be easier to develop social networks with such living arrangements. But, I, for one, believe that the neighborhood with young, not so young, older and retired is more vibrant than the single focus one. For the last few years I have been struck by the energy that little kids bring to an area. When we first moved here there was only one small girl and one younger boy on our street. The girl has an older brother and sister and the boy has an only brother. There was also a younger boy we did not see much. It was a very quiet place but lacked the vitality active children bring. Keep in mind the small street we live on has over twenty houses.
Last May a young family moved in next door. There were four very young children who ran to their hearts' content from dawn until dusk. Bill became quite enamored with them as they called him Mr. Bill. He liked being called Mr. Bill. By summer's end there were two more families with younger children who moved into the neighborhood. And, by year end there was at least one more family. It was wonderful watching them play. It was wonderful having more than two trick-or-treaters.
Yesterday the family next door moved to Maryland to be closer to the father's work. The day before the little boy and another boy were playing tag or the like when the other boy asked, "Who's that?" To which the neighbor boy replied, "That's Mrs. Bill." I thought that was very cute.
Mr. and Mrs. Bill are going to miss those little rascals.
2 comments:
Yikes! Who wants to live around no one but old people? Not me! We loved the little kids in our old neighborhood and were always amused by their offers of help to pick our raspberries! There is an elderly man, with Alzheimer's who lives next door to Emily. He wanders over frequently to play with Sofia. They kick a ball back and forth or he helps her ride her tricycle. It is the sweetest thing to see and the highlight of his day. Sofia adores him.
I never get the whole living with people your own age. I have always loved living around families with kids and with retired folks - I think having a whole spectrum of people with different experiences is really what makes living in your neighbor a great and wonderful thing! Good for you Mr. and Mrs. Bill!
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