by Elaine Parrish

Created on: September 20, 2009   Last Updated: September 23, 2009

Get Your Neighbors Together

Early on a sunny Saturday morning, a moving van backed up to the front door of a nice home in a quiet, middle-class neighborhood. The neighbors watched as the two men labored with piece after piece of heavy furniture, boxes, and appliances. They realized that they hadn't known their neighbors and didn't know they were moving.

Late Sunday afternoon, the family returned to the house. To their horror, they found it gutted and their worldly possessions gone. The police were called and door-to-door interviews were conducted. The neighbors recounted clearly what they had seen and reported that they had no reason to be suspicious. The thieves were long gone and the possessions were never recovered.

How can we live in such close proximity and not know each other? It seems unfathomable - until we asked ourselves who our own neighbors are.

Here are three easy, successful ways to bring your neighbors together:

Make the first move:

In this day and age of too busy lives, escalating crime, and a general fear of strangers, small gestures can make the greatest impact. A simple 'hello', a wave in passing, or a smile can open the door to creating an alliance. Make eye contact. Avoid stepping into another's personal space as this can trigger a fear response. Pause to chat whether it is across a fence or from the sidewalk. Once you have established a rapport, it is easy to be the catalyst for bring the neighborhood together. It is most likely that each resident knows at least one other resident, who knows one other resident and so on. The links are there. The old adage, "if you want a friend, be a friend" applies. If you want good neighbors, be a good neighbor. Take a little time and introduce yourself.

Initiate group activities:

Do you walk your dog, stroll through the neighborhood for exercise, take your child to the local park, or walk to the local farmer's market? Invite neighbors of like interests. Initiate a Saturday morning trek or a Sunday afternoon stroll. Open your home - or yard - as a gathering place for a 'meet and greet' to introduce residents to one another. It need not be an elaborate, expensive affair. It needs only to be comfortable and welcoming. A few chairs and benches in the front yard and a few friendly, smiling faces is all it takes.

Initiate neighborhood activities:

The most popular of these activities today is the Neighborhood Watch. Few people would reject the idea of additional safety precautions and procedures.

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