Last week a neighbor popped over to give my children the toys she had earned through her grocery store purchases.
That gesture, entirely mundane and unremarkable in my home context, has filled me with pleasure every time I’ve thought about it since.
Our home in the U.S. was a small town, tight-knit and friendly. Many residents, including us, worked for or had graduated from the local college. Within a short time of moving in, I knew all my neighbors in a one-block radius, and many, many more scattered throughout the neighborhood. I would wander outside with my littles with no other purpose than to find someone to chat to. My front porch was my favorite spot — the comfort of my own home, yet in easy reach of a smile and a wave from a neighbor.
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