Just last night, Kirsten showed up at my door with her husband, Doug, and we headed out, bundled up in scarves and mitts. It’s May, for cryin’ out loud, but we’re nothing if not hearty here in Calgary. Some of us are outgoing and thick-skinned, too, which helps. Regular strollers and dog-walkers intent on studying sidewalk cracks and avoiding eye contact may be tempted to give us a wide berth when first spoken to directly but most warm to it when the MONday concept is explained.
Has it been successful? I wish I could tell you that the streets are teeming with neighbours on MONday evenings but they aren’t, at least not yet. But I can tell you that we usually don’t get very far with the walking once the talking starts. Little knots of people form, sometimes right in the middle of the street, then passers-by pause and people even come out of their houses to join the conversation. A couple of MONdays ago, a group of 10 of us spent an hour chatting and laughing on a beautiful sunny evening – seven of them were neighbours I had never met. Last night, same thing – we ran into one neighbour walking with her daughter, spotted another in his driveway, the woman next door with two kids joined in and we spent a half hour, first making introductions, then visiting as if we’d all known each other for years, all within sight of my house.
It doesn’t take much to build a better neighbourhood but first and foremost, we need to at least find, if not create, ways to connect with each other. People are hungry for it. I know this because of what happens every MONday that we venture out in Brentwood and start conversations. If you’re hungry for it, too, why not give it a try on your own block? You just may find yourself building a better neighbourhood as a result.
If you would like to introduce MONdays to your community, Kirsten is willing to share her artwork. Email us at ‘civiccamp at gmail dot com’ and we’ll send you the file.
