Won't you be my neighbor?

There is a private drive located off of Pecos, I believe (here in Vegas) and I remember driving by it in my brother-in-law's red mini van (when we were younger; before he was my BIL). There were maybe 6 or 7 houses on this gated street and we'd all talk about how cool it would be to grow up and live on that street with your best friends living right next door. (Of course Kevin always called dibs on the big house at the end of the street.)



Seriously! Do you ever pretend you could design your own street/neighborhood/ward of people you REALLY like and want to be closer to? Sometimes I think it'd be WONDERFUL to have a neighborhood where my kids could run free and have an assundry of friends to pick from who live RIGHT NEXT DOOR. A neighborhood kinda like Leave it To Beaver where the kids could play baseball in the street and the neighbors would think it was cute and fun to have the kids in the front; not bugged that they were playing outside. I know not everyone's perfect, but in my neighborhood we'd love everyone complete with their flaws and it's ALL GOOD. Trust me, I'm imagining quite the dynamic neighborhood of goodness. Probably a little reminiscent of the old Burley neighborhood I grew up in, but with my peeps (however the Nelson clan is good peeps, so they'd probably be invited to my 'hood.) I dunno, a neighborhood where my kids would have some options when they want to "run away" or when I angrily kick them out the front door for being so stinkin' onry. It'd be great to know they'll end up at Barb's or Nancee's or Chris' or my sister's house and not picked up by some random stranger who'd report me to social services.



I would love this situation so then, when my friends have babies, they would come to their homes right around the corner from my house and I could run over to their house and hold their baby while they shower OR call and say, "send your other kid(s) over here for the day while you nap and sniff your new baby." And then, in my dream neighborhood, I could help my friends more and share with them more and learn about them and their spouses more and appreciate them more and . . . basically soak in their goodnesses. When they'd have good news we'd ALL celebrate with goodies, but then we could all work out together the next morning since my neighborhood would have miles of wonderful walking paths where we could burn of calories whilst we counsel each other. One of the best parts would be seeing my friends from college become friends with the gals I love in my current ward. OR my old ward friends really getting along with my family. And if, heaven forbid, there'd be a tragedy we could support and help each other. Because I, for one, have a ton of wheat for when the world falls apart and a generator big enough to run our house's power, but I KNOW in my dream neighborhood SOMEONE would share their water with me. (AND B.T.W., thanks Mindy for the water barrel heads up at Wal-Mart . . .you may now be invited to my 'hood!)



Then, as time goes by, our little kids would transition to teenagers and we moms and dads could be a team of cool, loving, stern, but fun adults for all our kids. And the kids could all date each other (or just hang out if they want) and I'd be excited just at the prospect that I could be actually related to some of my friends if our kids actually married [totally after missions and college, etc.]! (OBVIOUSLY I'd want some family to be in my neighborhood, but feel I should make it clear that I would not think the relatives dating would be so cool; that would be incest-y and that's gross. Plus I'm already related to the relatives, so no need to be all excited that we could be more related . . . anyway, you know what I mean. My kids dating my friends kids = cute.) Trust me, I know this neighborhood would be fun. Totally compound-ish, maybe, BUT we'd all love it so much I think we'd even want to vacation together too! Don't get me started on those plans.



Not that I even think the neighborhood would be perfect. I'm sure there'd be sorrow and struggles and problems, BUT I know these people are the best out there and my neighborhood would rally around each other. We'd lift each other up. We could help, not hurt. We'd laugh, oh my gosh! We'd laugh ourselves skinny because my peeps are funny. Like, it'd be funny to hear someone else yell at their kids through their shut windows or as their loading their kids into the car for church. It'd be a community when you could yell, "SERIOUSLY I will beat you bloody if you poke your star wars character into your sister's scriptures again!" and those who heard you would either wave like you hadn't just threatened physical violence OR shout a back up threat just to help you out. I'm telling you people, it'd be fun. Don't you think? C'mon, don't you want to be a neighbor? How could it be much better?