Get to know your neighbors

Connect with the people near you

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to get to know your neighbors. Spending
more time at home in recent months, with neighborhood walks
as the only option for non grocery shopping excursions, has

(00:27):
forced people to get to know their neighbors better. This
is generally a good thing. It's convenient to have help
if you get locked out, or to share power washers
or snowblowers. It's fun for people of all ages to
have a butty nearby, one you can say hello to
and discuss the world with as you're walking to and

(00:48):
from your mailbox. If you don't know your neighbors already,
now would be a great time to work on this.
Start by expanding on the interactions that you already have.
If a neighborhood kid has a lemonade, stand, buy a
cup and then chat with the young entrepreneurs parents. If
you just waved your neighbors as you roll your recycling

(01:10):
bins to the street, ask a few questions about how
life is going, Compliment the neighbor on his flowers, or
ask if she's visited a new nearby restaurant. If you
have some forum for discussing the neighborhood with your neighbors,
great on your next email saying you'll be out of town,
share a little bit about where you're traveling and why.

(01:33):
A little intentional self disclosure can let your neighbors see
what you have in common and pave the way for
more substantive conversations in the future. You can also set
the scene for more substantive interactions. A neighborhood block party
or get together in your front yard can give people
an excuse to say hello. If people bring their own picnics,

(01:55):
you won't even need to do much work. You can
also volunteer to make a neighbor a directory, if one
already exists, annotated with fun facts about the neighbors, so
you can remember to mention the gorgeous magnolia you saw
at the city park to the neighbor who prides himself
on the magnolias that he's planted. Yes, getting to know

(02:16):
your neighbors can take time, but it's generally time well spent.
I heard a story recently about a family that experienced
a house fire while they were on vacation. A neighbor
called as the fire department was showing up, and since
the fire was contained to one part of the house,
the neighbor asked if there were things that the family

(02:37):
wanted saved from potential fire and water damage in the
other part of the house. Wow. Knowing the neighbors is
the difference between saving those old family photos and not.
Do you have tips for getting to know your neighbors
or stories of how having a tightly woven neighborhood has
helped you or your family. You can let me know

(03:00):
at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com. In
the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's
to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd
love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

(03:21):
your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,
Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's b E
the number four then Breakfast p o D. You can
also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at
i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled

(03:42):
out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look
forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production
of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, from I heart Radio,
visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows. M HM.