There was a bit of cool crispness in the morning air this morning as I walked my chocolate lab Penny through our neighborhood. A nice respite from the past months of heat and more heat.
I love my neighborhood. Mary and I have been here 21 years, and through that time I have established certain routes to walk Penny, now 9 years old (pictured above with eyes closed enjoying her backyard today), and her predecessor and soul mate, Harmony, who lived to over 14.
It’s an eclectic “hood”, every house unique with a range from standard suburban offerings to dwellings that call out their farm day roots. It’s in the middle of the city but has a “feel” as if it were somewhere out in the country. Mature trees, larger lots, no sidewalks….and if you avoid certain perimeters of semi-busy streets, little to no traffic.
My walks have allowed me to connect with my neighbors, many I know by name, others just to wave and say “hi”. Through the years, changes come, of course. People pass or more, new folks come in. Open land gets filled with new homes….a small modern “McMansion” takes up most of one lot as it looks across the street to one of our neighborhood “farmers” growing crops in his front yard. An almost finished home comprised of four storage containers has slowly developed around the corner.
Yes, to me the neighborhood is cool and has a bohemian-farmer-urban-suburban air to it. It’s not for everyone though. Many people would balk at the chickens and goats and front yard gardens. Many would turn their nose up at the mix of houses and styles and colors.
Years ago, that might have been me. My first wife and I grew into a desire to build a new house. You know, pick out the model and features you want, pay for the upgrades, choose an empty lot, the canvass upon which your creation would develop.
We watched it grow from a patch of dirt on an artificially created cul-de-sac to a finished house. We moved in and created a beautiful home with all those modern touches. It was what I wanted at the time and I’m glad I had the experience.
I loved the newness, the modern stores that sprung up around the growing neighborhood, the open spaces and even the winding sidewalks with views of vast vistas of sky and openness.
However, there were downsides, tradeoffs that came with all that “brand new” feel. There was the binder of “rules”, the dos and don’ts that maintained a desired “standardness” to the houses. There was the blandness of color and diversity as I traveled through the streets. And there were few neighbors spending time outdoors in this created environment of “public space” with whom to connect.
As I walked this morning reflecting upon the different experiences, I couldn’t help but notice the perfection in both. There is no “right or wrong” experience or neighborhood. There is only that which calls to us based on our desires at that time in our lives. Perhaps for many, one type is all that ever calls to them and that is OK.
At the core of our being, I know that we are each a divine being united in a deep oneness of Spirit. Yet, I also know that as we move through these human experiences, we often fall prey to the belief that we are separate and apart from one another.
This belief of separation leads us into competing with one another, seeking to make ourselves “right” or “better” than “those others out there”. It urges us along into judging our preferences as instead hardened opinions that we argue to defend. Our arguments push us further into a sense of separation and division.
The truth is that many of our preferences are just that…preferences. So long as they cause no harm to ourselves or others, we are free to experience our preferences and enjoy them as long as they bring such joy and more life into being.
Simultaneously, we must also see that the preferences of others that do not harm us are not inherently “bad”. They are simply different from what we “prefer”.
Instead of creating a battle between which preference is “better” which serves to divide us, we are better served by moving towards celebrating our differences as part of the vast beautiful diversity of the world in which we live. As it’s often said, our unity does not mean we must experience and express ourselves uniformly.
Spirit expressing as the vast expansive universe in which we each uniquely “live and move and have our being” does not call us to the limited experience of holding the same thoughts, beliefs and desires. In my uniqueness, I can feel the joy of experiencing my preferences while you, in your uniqueness, can feel your joy of what you desire.
Instead of arguments as to which one of us is “right”, we are better served both individually and collectively by celebrating a world where we can each find our bliss in our own unique human choices and experiences.
So which is better, the eclectic variety of an older neighborhood or the standardization of the modern HOA one? Your choice is your choice. For me, I’m simply glad that we have this multiplicity of neighborhoods as well as the vast diversity of this world to experience and find joy.
Let us all celebrate out uniqueness and diversity as we also lean into and love our interwoven spiritual oneness.
Blessings,
Mark