Do you know and like your neighbors?

[poohbear1029]

I think the hard part is you cant pick your neighbors to be people you would naturally be friends with. You pick the house, town and school district, but not the people.....and just like you cant pick your family, you cant pick your neighborhood. If you're not fast friends with your neighbors that is not necessarily a bad thing.....you just might be different people. If you are feuding with them, then that is a bad and uncomfortable living situation....just like if you were feuding with family.

That being said....we love our neighbors...we are all different...white collar, doctors, military, police, tradesman, etc - kids, no kids, etc and we all get along great. We have parties and take care of eachother and even are going on a cruise together. In my hometown my grandparents were friends with their neighbors and got together for "High-balls" and vacationed together once their kids were grown. I think it is a rare thing, but I count myself lucky that I have found neighbor friends like they have......

And both my situation and theirs are in Massachusetts....a state that typically gets the friendliness bad rap!!

Now.....if only Uncle Sam wasnt going to move us again in two years!

 

[Blondie]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Before I answer, am I talking to the DW (Mary) here, or the DH (Bruce)?

Did I miss the answer?

 

[Serena]

If you did, then so did I.

 

[Kitty 34]

Originally posted by browneyes
I live surrounded by my SO's family. They're all pretty nosey and like to gossip.

My DH could say the same thing as you, Shannon!! He's surrounded by MY family and a couple of them are quite the gossipers!!!

 

[CRB#33]

Originally posted by Serena
If you did, then so did I.

It must be marybruce!

 

[ByTheSea]

Originally posted by CRB#33
It must be marybruce!

I was just thinking it must be a troll

 

[CRB#33]

trollmarybruce

 

[ByTheSea]

trollmarybruce

poifect

 

[Nutsy]

Neighbours on the top side are too snobby to talk to us.....they run & hide when they see us out.

Neighbours on the bottom side, we talk to quite a bit & are very friendly with. They are Chinese/Malaysian & don't go out too much, but they are still nice people.

As for other neighbours, everyone seems to keep pretty much to themselves around here unless they know someone already or have a common interest.

 

[Kallison]

Our street is divided in half with colonial homes about 35 years old and 5 year old mcMansions. The McMansion side is pretty divided, petty, half don't speak to the other half. I stay out of it, I have a few close friends on that side. The older homes we are all friendly, but not overly so. In warm weather we talk out front. My next door neighbor has my key and takes my dog for a walk every day, watches him whenever we go away by taking him to his house. I know I could call any of my neighbors on this side of the street and they would be there for me no questions asked. So yes -- I know and like my neighbors.

 

[cassie]

I live in a townhouse condomunity. My building houses 9 units and I'm only on friendly terms with 3 others after almost 5 years. I'm out and about walking my dog everyday and everyone else stays in afterwork. It's very quiet here, no cook-outs, loud parties. etc. I'm happy, but I do miss the social aspect...it seems they all close up and stay indoors after work.

 

[Mari annie]

I really like the DISboards, alot of people get into the boards, as well all should, that's what they are for!
I have joined several other boards, and truthfully they really are
lame!!


Anyway, the question here is neighbors..
I grew up in New England, living in an Italian neighborhood, where everyone new everyone, well, it was good and that was bad...but now I realize being married (btw) after a few years we moved back here, the same town and boy has it grown!
I didn't know what to expect, but it has gone to a little town to almost a city! ;-( Everyone notices when they come to visit
we had to move because the real estate was so high, well, years later we returned the economy is the same/more I should say, but we all love it here!
Anyway, we looked and looked all over the town trying to decide where to live, unfortunatly alot of those "neighborhoods" are no more--mostly cut out cut outs, and stepford wives neighborhoods, we were lucky to find a house across town kind of of the main street, adjcent to many side streets that has neighborhoods..I find that since I work PT and I have older kids, I love being home, there are nill that I have anything in common with. Either mom's with infants or woman just too nosey wanting to know what hubby does....I am not into either!
I do free lance work and it keeps me busy and volunteering and going into my kids schools is what I enjoy!
I truly MISS people being people!
People are in too much of a hurry, barely having time for their own families, and the community bonds/neighborly bonds it's sad people just don't care.
I live between two families who work 15 hours a day and only one has a kid, who goes to day care the same amount of time!
Every year *just about* when these houses are sold/resold my kids always ask me you think someone nice will move in with kids our age?!
We mind our own business and wave and smile to everyone
but that neighborhood closeness is what I miss.
I do have one great neighbor, they are very nice, and we help each other. My grandparents always said, "be good to your neighbors you never know when you need them, or them you"!
So true, a couple years back, there were break ins, and the couple of us that were around were to see what's going on and a break in was stopped!
People need to be more human and find out who their neighbors are, yes, some people are nosey, But I would say from moving so much and so many areas, that people are people and 99% of people are very nice! We did go to the annual Fall block party up the street, we were invited, There was a woman who asked me several personal questions and I decided not to be as shallow as her and said I don't feel like answering some of those questions, and I didn't fit in her little circle, but that's fine with me.
We did make a couple other friends that night so that rudeness was quickly forgotten about.
I am from New England and lived here most of my life and I do have to be honest, people here are rude and non talkers, I have had the opportunity to live many other places and there is a BIG difference. I always try to be social or smile because I realize this!
As a kid growing up in the 60's, and life was much different, I do miss knowing the neighbors, I miss alot of that neighborhood
closeness!
After reading these posts, I realize I am not the only one who wishes for something more in neighbors.Maybe the neighbors that are rude or think that listening to someones' stories or smiling at someone, will now think twice that maybe one of those neighbors are alone, bored, missing someone, or in a slump and maybe this will make them smile and listen, you never know, you may be that person some day, needing to be cheered up----even if it's just a smile!!


Keep smiling, and remember, no matter who rude someone
is smile at them and say hello, maybe they'll smile back!!!!

 

[Kimickey]

I live in military housing and my neighbors seem friendly. We are not close, but we speak to each other when we are out and about.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I live outside of Pittsburgh PA and think we have alot of friendly people here. Gees, our winters have nothing to do with the people who live here. I've heard from plenty of people that when they visit the city they are surprised just how friendly the people are. We used to live in a small neighborhood, about 40 houses, where just about everyone knew everyone. Some more friendly than others. We moved from there 2 years ago and I am still friendly with some of the neighbors. We now live further in the country, We know our next door neighbors but they go to Florida 6 months out of the year.

 

[JerseyJanice]

We are blessed with the most wonderful neighbors. I thank my lucky stars all the time that we chose this house because with it, came the nicest, friendliest neighbors we could have asked for.

We even turned this summer's blackout into an inpromptu block party.

Mary (or Bruce--not sure which one of you has the hangup about the Northeast), maybe you need to look inside yourself to figure out what you need to do to find friends in your area.

Instead of blaming the entire Northeast for your inability to make new friends, adopt a friendly attitude and go places and do things where you'll meet more people.

 

[kozmo]

I have very nice neighbors,i am lucky!!!

 

[goodstarr]

I live in a great neighborhood with wonderful neighbors. Our development consists of 75 houses and DH and I know the people in at least 50 of them (we call DD the Mayor of our development). We are the virtual melting pot-not only with nationalities, but also with ages and lifestyles. We all built our houses together so we knew each other before we moved in. We not only do the annual block parties and multi-family yard sales, several families went on a 4 day cruise with us! The few neighbors that we didn't care for in particular have left (I believe that we prayed them out ) It's great to know that I can call my 58 year old childless neighbor to come get me from the grocery store when I was pregnant and felt faint, to call my 40 year old father of three neighbor to jump my car on a Saturday night when it's 7 degrees, and to have my 35 year old mother of three neighbor call me on my cell phone whe she's late getting home so I can get her kids off the bus. Plus on those wonderful Disney trips, the 17 year old kid across the street walks the dog and feeds the cat too!