My wife and I attended a neighborhood gathering a couple of weeks ago that was hosted by two families who live a few houses down from us. We're newcomers to this Hot Springs Village neighborhood, so having a gathering like this was a pleasant surprise. The neighborhood was saying goodbye to a couple who were moving closer to family and greeting the new neighbors (including my wife and me).
We practiced social distancing, which didn't put a damper on the fellowship -- we just had
to talk louder.
We all talked about how long each of us lived in the neighborhood, what we did (or still do) for a living, our grandkids, where we lived most of our lives, and -- we live in the Village, after all -- golf. (Full disclosure: I don't. Never could hit a ball straight.)
The gathering was pleasant for a number of reasons. I suppose among those was the reminder that a group of neighbors can still get together and have a pleasant visit with each other. That sounds like an odd statement to make, but in the midst of discordant political voices constantly trying to yell over each other, being neighborly almost seems like a lost piece of American history. Well, it's not.
There's a lot of negative stuff going on right now. People are anxious -- or downright scared. We all wonder about the future. People are angry, and some are taking that anger out in inappropriate and illegal ways. It seems every thought we have is a reaction to something that has happened. Much of it doesn't make sense.
But my wife and I were privileged to be reminded that the bedrock that makes our country what it is hasn't really shifted all that much. Neighbors can still get together and talk about the grandkids -- and golf.
Certainly, we can't ignore what's going on. But it is refreshing to step aside from the cacophony of angry voices and be reminded that there's still harmony all around us. There's still hope.
If you have lost that hope and you're feeling depressed and anxious, give us a call at 622-3580. Perhaps we can help.