Thursday, May 31, 2007

Mitford Moment: Be Out of Step

Businesses plant gardens between buildings. The town ponders what should be their town flower! Rose arbors appear in yards.

These simple pleasures generally are out of sync with the hurried and frenzied life presented all around us. But, they enhance the lives of those who are enjoying the simple pleasures and of those who are rushing around - whether they realize it or not.

How can I be a refreshment to my community? When I go for a walk - sometimes, there is a certain yard or home that will stand out as inviting or charming - is my home one of those that generates a refreshment in others who walk or drive by? This can be as simple as keeping all the trash picked up, toys put away and weeds kept to a minimum. (Guess I better add "Tidy Porch" to my list of things to do today!)

What can I do to be a refreshment to my community? I'm still pondering this and would love to hear your ideas!

10 comments:

Leanne said...

We live in a neighborhood that has a good mix of older neighbors, single neighbors, and young families. We try to take time to say "hello", help with shoveling snow, picking up trash, and sharing all the produce from our gardens and trees. We hope in those ways to be refreshing to those around us!

Susan P. said...

Monica, these Mitford Moments are truly a blessing to us ~ they are my favorite thing on your blog!! Keep them coming:o)

Mary Ann said...

I love these Mitford Moments as well. :-) I think this post and the one about making a difference are my favorites so far! Great food for thought!

Jthemilker said...

Hmmm... I never pondered what people think when they pass by our present home. We are in a townhouse now so there is plenty of bypassers. Funny thing, my hubby insisted on some landscaping this year. He planted a rose bush, some flowers, a japanese red-maple tree, and mulched around another tree in the front yard. It's a work in progress but even I have commented on how different and more inviting it is. Thanks for the Mitford Moment... as it fits right into the happenings of our home in the past couple of days.

Anonymous said...

That is exactly my desire! To have my home have that inviting/friendly curb appeal!
Gentle flowers mixed with greens and a fresh vase of cut hydrangeas on the hose box near the door, oh and those gorgeous silver walkway lights - they even look inviting in the daytime because they are softer than black!

By the way. I had never even heard of Mitford until you started these Mitford moments. Well, I just finished the first book and I AM IN LOVE!!!! I have the next one waiting for me at the library right now! Thank you so much for introducing me (and probably some others) to a series of fiction that can actually improve our lives!

Anonymous said...

I just told my adult children that they needed to keep our yard looking decent (they are living in and taking care of our home while their father and I are living in another state) because we are told to "Love our Neighbor"

Anonymous said...

Good thoughts! We live in the country. Lots of folks take no care for the state of their property!! We do what we can to keep our looking pleasing for passers by. I'm going to take a look and see what more I might be able to do without spending any $$ (or at least very little!)

Amy said...

We are still working on our curb appeal. Our grass is patchy, but much better than it was last year. We did paint our front door a cheery red and it has definitely helped make our home look more inviting.

I am doing gardening this year and am hoping to share the rewards with our neighbors.

One of my favorite things to do is run meals around the neighborhood when people have babies or are sick. We may not even know them very well, but it is a great way to get your foot in the door and let them know how much we appreciate being part of the community.

Likewise, our neighbors help us too. They have shoveled our driveway or shared a cold beverage with us. It is nice to feel part of a community like that!

Anonymous said...

Dear Monica,

I love this Mitford post and the comments you've received! I have always loved the look of a well-cared-for home -- definitely a way to bless our neighbors and passersby.

Love you!
Mom

Anonymous said...

We live in an area where lots of people walk by our front yard on evening walks. This post gives me the idea of making homemade ice cream out front and sharing it with people walking by. What a fun way to spark a conversation and meet someone new (which being an introvert is a challenge for me!).

Also, it would be great to have all the neighbors on our culdesac get together for homemade ice cream and pull out the slip-n-slide for the kids.

I do love that we are forever calling each other asking if we can borrow an egg or milk or spices, etc. We love to watch the neighbor's baby for 30-45 minutes at a time so she can accomplish things or run errands. When so-n-so's husband is out of town, so-n-someone-else's husband will trim and/or mow their yard for them. We get the mail and water flowers for each other when we're out of town. We'll send fresh-baked cookies next door and vice versa. And when I cut my finger and had to go to the ER, I had no qualms about calling the neighbors to come whisk away my kids while I ran to the hospital.

Thanks for making me realize what a nice community we have. I think I've taken it for granted until just now. Makes me want to enjoy it more and reach out more.