52 Weeks of Neighboring - Week 28

Neighboring Tip of the Week - Invite a neighbor on a walk or bike ride.

This week’s neighboring tip is to invite a neighbor on a walk or bike ride. Now, we get it - while simple enough, experimenting with this tip might feel a bit awkward. So, we would recommend either planning to do one of these outdoor activities for yourself and then inviting a neighbor to join or involving a third thing. 

So, you could simply plan to go on a walk or bike ride on your own, and then, if you run into a neighbor on your way, invite them to join you. This might feel less awkward for your neighbor if they know you’re doing the activity anyway, and it also might feel easier for them to say no if they’re uncomfortable. The second of these options is to plan your activity around a third thing so that it takes the pressure off purely hanging out. For example, if you’re walking, plan to pick up trash along the way and then simply invite your neighbor to join in this endeavor. These third things can give your hangout time a focus and also provide something to talk about. And, if you’re planning on biking (and if you’re local to Wichita), a great resource is Bike Walk Wichita. They have a page on their website dedicated to giving you info on safe roads and how far they extend! Visit them here: www.bikewalkwichita.org/bike-101.

Again, we know this neighboring tip could feel a bit awkward, and that’s okay! We would encourage you to listen to your body and what you’re comfortable with but also to lean into the awkward and just go for it! Perhaps this is a tip you want to experiment with with a neighbor whom you already know pretty well, and that’s perfect. The goal is simply to get to hang out with your neighbor in the public space of your neighborhood. That’s it!

Happy Neighboring!

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