Air conditioning was the kiss of death for connection with neighbors. No, really it was
The truth was revealed one day last week. It was a gorgeous day, and we went for a drive at about 6 pm to look at landscaping. We are overhauling our entire yard, including putting on a new porch. The above pictures is the front of our house before Dave tore out those high maintenance bushes. :)
I wanted some ideas of what to do in the yard. And I was taking pictures because we have a landscape designer coming to help us. So the window was down as snapped pictures with my phone of yards I liked. In just a few minutes that evening, I spoke to four different people. With the window down, they turned, smiled and spoke. I did the same thing. I also stopped to talk to someone from our church who hadn't attended in a while. None of those things would have happened if I'd had the window up and the air conditioning on.
And take air conditioning in the houses as another example. Before we had our lovely, perfectly controlled indoor temperatures, people went outside on the porch or under the shade tree when the mercury climbed. They spoke to neighbors and passersby. I think that's one reason camping is popular. We went to our son's camper at Jellystone on Saturday and talked to so many people that I lost count. Everyone is outside, interacting and having a great time.
Now I'm not about to give up my air conditioning, especially when we hit 98 degrees yesterday! But I am going to make an effort to get outside more, to ride around with the windows down, and to connect with the world out there. How about you? Are you with me? Let's change the world in small ways right in our neighborhoods.
Labels: air conditioning, isolation, neighbors
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Colleen Coble writes romantic suspense with a strong atmospheric element. A lovable animal of some kind--usually a dog--always populates her novels. She can be bribed with DeBrand mocha truffles.
Denise Hunter writes women's fiction and love stories with a strong emotional element. Her husband says he provides her with all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too.
Diann Hunt writes romantic comedy and humorous women's fiction. She has been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, chocolate, her dog, and well, chocolate.
Cheryl Hodde writes romantic medical suspense under the pen name of Hannah Alexander, using all the input she can get from her husband, Mel, for the medical expertise. For fun she hikes and reads. Out of guilt, she rescues discarded cats. She and Mel are presently taking orders from four pampered strays.
