A Tale of Two Community Neighbourhoods
In downtown Toronto, on a quiet residential street, the wife of an elderly couple passed away. The street residents did what often happens and brought over casseroles and well wishes soon after they became aware. The gentleman’s house was filled with coming and going of relatives and neighbours. But what made this street special is the residents realized the hardest times are after everybody goes home again.
The street came together and chatted about what they could/should do. They decided to have regular ‘look-ins’ and invites for the new widow. Now some six months later, the widower is rebuilding his social life and adjusting to a new way of living grateful for the support he has received.
On a suburban street in Moncton New Brunswick, my good friend noticed a moving van in front of a house about 8 doors down. My friend, being the curious fellow he is, checked out what was going on. It turns out that the widow’s husband had died six months earlier and no one noticed. My friend is an actively social person and felt really bad that he, nor his other neighbours were aware of what happened.
Which neighbourhood would you prefer to live in, one where people notice each other or are oblivious to each other. The Good Neighbour App is part of a process for changing how neighbours relate to each other.
www.goodneighbourapp.com
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