Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to get to know your neighbors. Spending
Speaker 1: more time at home in recent months, with neighborhood walks
Speaker 1: as the only option for non grocery shopping excursions, has
Speaker 1: forced people to get to know their neighbors better. This
Speaker 1: is generally a good thing. It's convenient to have help
Speaker 1: if you get locked out, or to share power washers
Speaker 1: or snowblowers. It's fun for people of all ages to
Speaker 1: have a butty nearby, one you can say hello to
Speaker 1: and discuss the world with as you're walking to and
Speaker 1: from your mailbox. If you don't know your neighbors already,
Speaker 1: now would be a great time to work on this.
Speaker 1: Start by expanding on the interactions that you already have.
Speaker 1: If a neighborhood kid has a lemonade, stand, buy a
Speaker 1: cup and then chat with the young entrepreneurs parents. If
Speaker 1: you just waved your neighbors as you roll your recycling
Speaker 1: bins to the street, ask a few questions about how
Speaker 1: life is going, Compliment the neighbor on his flowers, or
Speaker 1: ask if she's visited a new nearby restaurant. If you
Speaker 1: have some forum for discussing the neighborhood with your neighbors,
Speaker 1: great on your next email saying you'll be out of town,
Speaker 1: share a little bit about where you're traveling and why.
Speaker 1: A little intentional self disclosure can let your neighbors see
Speaker 1: what you have in common and pave the way for
Speaker 1: more substantive conversations in the future. You can also set
Speaker 1: the scene for more substantive interactions. A neighborhood block party
Speaker 1: or get together in your front yard can give people
Speaker 1: an excuse to say hello. If people bring their own picnics,
Speaker 1: you won't even need to do much work. You can
Speaker 1: also volunteer to make a neighbor a directory, if one
Speaker 1: already exists, annotated with fun facts about the neighbors, so
Speaker 1: you can remember to mention the gorgeous magnolia you saw
Speaker 1: at the city park to the neighbor who prides himself
Speaker 1: on the magnolias that he's planted. Yes, getting to know
Speaker 1: your neighbors can take time, but it's generally time well spent.
Speaker 1: I heard a story recently about a family that experienced
Speaker 1: a house fire while they were on vacation. A neighbor
Speaker 1: called as the fire department was showing up, and since
Speaker 1: the fire was contained to one part of the house,
Speaker 1: the neighbor asked if there were things that the family
Speaker 1: wanted saved from potential fire and water damage in the
Speaker 1: other part of the house. Wow. Knowing the neighbors is
Speaker 1: the difference between saving those old family photos and not.
Speaker 1: Do you have tips for getting to know your neighbors
Speaker 1: or stories of how having a tightly woven neighborhood has
Speaker 1: helped you or your family. You can let me know
Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com. In
Speaker 1: the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's
Speaker 1: to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd
Speaker 1: love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,
Speaker 1: your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,
Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's b E
Speaker 1: the number four then Breakfast p o D. You can
Speaker 1: also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at
Speaker 1: i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled
Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look
Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production
Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, from I heart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows. M HM.