Get to Know Your Neighbours

Good day neighbours.

Cooler air and shorter days have a certain appeal. With the lush boulevards and trees in the area, McCauley is extra special in the fall. We may as well enjoy it because we didn’t have much of a summer.

As the weather changes and we start to spend more time indoors, we say goodbye to some of our neighbours and wait to see them in the spring. This is true for a lot of people in the community who seem to put their connection with their neighbours on hold for a while.

I am a huge advocate of getting to know your neighbours. I’ve been fortunate to meet and get to know so many of them. Whether it is just saying hi or giving a passing nod, it begins. We start to connect and get to know and care about each other. This is how community starts: over one fence at a time, one neighbour at a time.

Edmonton faces a relatively high number of individuals reporting feelings of social isolation – so if you see someone you recognize, say hi. Reach out. As we’ve expanded our day-to-day reliance on social media and technology, we’ve sadly done so at the expense of human interaction. Nothing can replace that, so put your phone down, take a breath, and look around. From the changing colours, kids playing, and dogs (or cats) sniffing the leaves, there is plenty to smile about. Now, show that smile to someone else. It costs nothing and perhaps starts a conversation. I suspect you might find in that dialogue, that you share one or two things in common.

The League is representative of you and your neighbours – we are your neighbours. We work, live, play, and shop in the community every day. If there is a chance you have a wee bit of spare time and want to get to know more people and maybe bring an idea for an event or program or concern to the rest of the community, I would encourage you to come out and meet us. Come to a meeting. We meet the first Tuesday of every month at the Boys and Girls Club boardroom. It is located on the west side of the building on 95th street and 109a Avenue. We start the meeting at 7 p.m. and run until about 9 most months.

We are nothing without our neighbours and friends, so if you want to meet some more people who care about what your community looks like – come join us and hang out for an evening.