Happy National Good Neighbor Day!

Happy National Good Neighbor Day!

“Wait, this is a thing?”, you might be asking. Yeah, it’s a thing! Designated by the U.S. Senate on April 28, 2004, this national holiday is all about neighboring, and we’re all about it! In learning about the history of this day, we were struck by the preamble to the congressional record which signed this date into law. It reads as follows:

“Whereas our society has developed highly effective means of 

     speedy communication around the world, but has failed to 

     ensure meaningful communication among people living across 

     the globe, or even across the street, from one another;

       Whereas the endurance of human values and consideration for 

     others are critical to the survival of civilization; and

       Whereas being good neighbors to those around us is the 

     first step toward human understanding….”

Striking, right? These words seem just as relevant now as when they were first written, and we love the response: neighboring! How can we hope to establish more meaningful connections around the globe without establishing these very connections on our blocks? And that powerful last line…that being good neighbors “is the first step toward human understanding”. We could not agree more, and what are the implications for this neighboring, this understanding, around the world? As the November elections approach, we can’t help but think about the importance of this basic human understanding - the importance of these small interactions that remind us all of our common humanity, even in the midst of polarizing situations that can so easily divide us. It can sound a bit naive, but we really do think neighboring is often the answer and at least the first step in addressing some of our current human predicaments. Because with understanding, with relationship, with trust, we can only move forward from there.

So, Happy National Good Neighbor Day to you and yours! We hope you can celebrate with, as the congressional record puts it, “appropriate ceremonies and activities” - also known as…neighboring!

Source: Congressional Record Vol. 150, No. 56. (April 28, 2004). https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-150/issue-56/senate-section/article/S4623-1