Joy (Day 23)

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 (On Fridays during this series I'll tell a real life story of community.
Today I'm linking up with Five Minute Friday to do so.)

 
So maybe one of your neighbors left a note on your door that made you angry. Maybe their words don't mean as much as you thought they did. Maybe when you make offers of community you really mean them but maybe they just say "nice things" not meaning to back them up.

Maybe your neighbors urinated on your porch like a friend of mine's did on hers. Maybe on the other side of your bedroom wall is your neighbor's recording studio and perhaps also the headquarter's of his underhanded business.

Maybe some days you have to fight harder for joy in neighboring than others. It is on those days that it is best to remember that while neighboring is good for you, it is not all about you.

You will have disagreements. You will have boundaries crossed that have to be rebuilt. You will not always see eye to eye.

Neighboring is a lot of things. Good things. But one thing it certainly is not is easy. And I know a lot about things that aren't easy and things that are worth doing. And oftentimes they're the same things.

So as I write these words I remind myself that while neighboring is a lot of hard things it is also certainly worth it.

 

This post is part of the 31 Days of Neighboring series.