Spur of the Moment

I walked to the mailbox today - and I discovered a neighbor.

The mailbox is only two blocks away, yet I had found myself looking for my car keys on the way out the door. If I had driven, I would have missed the opportunity for a spur of the moment conversation.

Our chat was brief, really little more than a verbal tip of the hat. Yet it was momentous enough to linger in my thoughts.

Why? I could say that the cold weather had kept me indoors and out of touch. While that would be accurate, there's more to it. Walking seems to be becoming as obsolete as front porches and manual garage doors.

It's an unfortunate loss.

Sitting on a front porch, getting out of a car to open a garage door, or strolling down the block all provide the chance for spur of the moment human interaction. The opportunity to acknowledge a neighbor - the opportunity to build a neighborhood instead of just living in a housing development.