Nostalgia, or The Benefits of the Neighborhood

Recently (not today, today I stayed home sick from work with a mild case of dizziness) I was walking to the bus-stop to go to work, and exchanged one of those usual sets of banter with the man I know only as "the lawn-care man". I've seen him on and off throughout the warmer part of the year since somewhere in high school, always doing yardwork for someone or other, always on the street which leads from the main road on one side to the one that connects to my street. He's always friendly, vaguely seems to keep track, or try, of what general stage of life I'm in- what year of high school I was in, that I'm still in college, I think. A nice man, older, quite bald, and just a nice bright spot in any morning or afternoon when I've encountered him.

Similarly, a gentleman whom I no longer see, was another pleasant moment in many of my high school mornings. I walked to school, and wanted to be nicely early so I could beat the crowds and have time to get ready for class and hang out a bit, so I left home around 6:35-6:40, and got to school just about 7:00am (classes started at 7:31 for some reason). But there, out and cheerful, was 'the Comfort Foods truck man'- a middle-aged, cheerful Italian guy with a green truck from which he sold "comfort foods" whatever those were, mostly, I think, at faires and the like- he often had posters for said faires up discretely on his lawn. A very kind man, from what little I knew of him.

Neighborhood is a wonderful thing- it's this little chance at almost obligation-free friendliness at least when you're not one of the actual house-owners, and general friendliness and sociability regardless. True, one has to brush up one's small talk, usually, but the smiles involved do seem to be worth it.

Nostalgia, or The Benefits of the Neighborhood

Recently (not today, today I stayed home sick from work with a mild case of dizziness) I was walking to the bus-stop to go to work, and exchanged one of those usual sets of banter with the man I know only as "the lawn-care man". I've seen him on and off throughout the warmer part of the year since somewhere in high school, always doing yardwork for someone or other, always on the street which leads from the main road on one side to the one that connects to my street. He's always friendly, vaguely seems to keep track, or try, of what general stage of life I'm in- what year of high school I was in, that I'm still in college, I think. A nice man, older, quite bald, and just a nice bright spot in any morning or afternoon when I've encountered him.

Similarly, a gentleman whom I no longer see, was another pleasant moment in many of my high school mornings. I walked to school, and wanted to be nicely early so I could beat the crowds and have time to get ready for class and hang out a bit, so I left home around 6:35-6:40, and got to school just about 7:00am (classes started at 7:31 for some reason). But there, out and cheerful, was 'the Comfort Foods truck man'- a middle-aged, cheerful Italian guy with a green truck from which he sold "comfort foods" whatever those were, mostly, I think, at faires and the like- he often had posters for said faires up discretely on his lawn. A very kind man, from what little I knew of him.

Neighborhood is a wonderful thing- it's this little chance at almost obligation-free friendliness at least when you're not one of the actual house-owners, and general friendliness and sociability regardless. True, one has to brush up one's small talk, usually, but the smiles involved do seem to be worth it.