Share a Smile and a Hello ~ You Just Never Know!

Many years ago, I was involved in Girl Scouts.  My troop was filled with school classmates, girls that I already knew and had relationships with.  Each summer, I went to Girl Scout Resident Camp for two weeks where I had to meet new girls and live in a tent with 3 other people that I would come to know.  The first couple of days at camp were a bit rough as I was a bit shy, hoping that I would have a really good time and meet some really nice people. The memories of Girl Scout camp and the fun summers had were one of the best I carry with me today.  I tell you this because this memory came back to me the other day as I was talking to a resident that moved to Euclid 6 years ago.  She indicated that she really knew no one here in Euclid and that her friends were a city or two away.  I have to say that this truth really made me a bit sad.

I offered her an invite to the Ward 8 Wednesday on the Porch event, a new resident packet and a couple of suggestions of events going on in the City that she might want to participate in such as Summer at Sims.  But it goes beyond that.

I hung up the phone and thought, how do we connect with each other?  At first we don’t know our neighbors nor do we know the number of people who walk by our homes every day some with their dogs or their baby strollers.  How do we connect?  Well, it’s simple, just like the many years ago at Girl Scout camp, it starts with a hello and a smile.  The next day it starts with small talk and we grow from there and relationships begin.

Of course Euclidians say we are a neighborhood of neighborhoods, but have we left some good folks behind?  It starts with each of us saying hello to just one more person, waving to one more jogger, smiling at the youth as they walk by.  We are creatures of habit so the people who walk by, will walk by the same time tomorrow or the day after.  The joggers in the neighborhood should receive a simple wave as they run on by don’t you agree?

So here’s my challenge!  Get to know one neighbor that you have not talked with yet, start by saying hello, and then get to know them.  They will be the ones that might just check to see if you closed your garage as you left late for work this morning and you might be the one that has their spare key as they locked themselves out of their home.  Neighbors are the fabric of this community, they look out for us, care for us, visit with us and sometimes if your lucky, become our friends.