Robert is Best
“Hello, I wanted to let you know that I got your note and am ready to sell my house. If you want to come by and see it before it goes on the market, you can come over Sunday.”
It took two years for Judy to call me after I put a note in her mailbox. We had three friends who lived on the street and loved the nostalgic feel of her neighborhood. Runners and dog walkers cut through the street, kids played or rode outside reminding us of our own childhoods. Judy’s was the only house that needed updating, which meant that Todd and I could afford it. Since it wasn’t for sale, I tucked a note in her mailbox and didn’t get a response for a long time.
“Clearly this is a huge project that we DO NOT NEED.”
“Oh, it has soooo much potential- I love it!”
We stood on the front lawn after our tour and I have never felt further apart from Todd. Our friends gave us the neighborhood sales pitch and I became more convinced that this was a great move for our family. Todd did not even want to entertain the idea. We had spent seven years finishing our house and he was finally able to relax and enjoy his hard work. I made my case. I felt it in my core. This would be our home and we would make memories in this neighborhood. I pushed until we made an offer.
Middle School, High School, overnight camp, new puppies, the library, Todd’s heel injury; so many experiences were intertwined with the families in our neighborhood over the last seven years. Our kids grew and fell into different cliques. We saw each other more frequently at town events and on fields and less on our street. Then COVID hit.
We started with waves, then drinks across the actual street, dog walks, another injury for Todd, fire-pits, tears, laughs, yard birthday celebrations, graduation car parades, tool swaps, book swaps, and now a neighborhood of parents and kids closer than ever. Our sons had built new cliques as kids do in High School, but when we were all quarantined, they eventually started meeting in each other’s yards. We projected movies onto our garage door, built fire pits, and they rekindled their friendships from elementary school. Families gathered over discussions of remote, virtual, and hybrid learning plans, sharing frustrations and leaned on each other, while six-feet apart.
Our sons all leave for college this month, and we don’t know what their future holds. As families, we share our emotional experiences of letting our sons go, while balancing the stress over this time in the world. So much uncertainty, but I am feeling grateful that these reconnections will make coming home to our ‘hood that much sweeter.
