Hello Neighbor(s)

Get creative. Be bold. Do uncomfortable things.

I am in a season of returning to me. All rough and tumbly on the outside, but back to the core center of who I have always been.

Years ago, (in my stay at home moming era) I used to be really friendly to my neighbors, because, well, I could. I had the bandwidth. So many awesome connections with extraordinary people were made that way. Both, lifelong friends and memory holding (now distant) connections still remain.

But life happened. You know how it goes. It just gets faster and more complicated and busier and (damn) more painful. And sometimes when life gets painful, all we can do is retreat. So I did.

The pandemic helped a lot with that drawing into myself process. When the world shut down, it was actually a really big relief to me in the beginning. I could let go of so many things I felt responsible for because every single thing stopped (just about). I had no excuses to not cut out the unnecessary chaos because there was SO much necessary chaos in being a self employed, working, single mom with FOUR school aged children doing school unsupervised at home.

But here we are five years out from that crazy time. Maybe I was naive to think that things might return to normal. 2025 has been anything but normal so far. Let's not talk about it because *insert getting sick emoji*

However, it's not time to go all reclusive. It's time to find strength in community again. We all need each other. I think we are waking up to that slumbering truth, ready to shake things up and live.

My neighbors need me, and I need my neighbors. We just need to remember what it feels like to look around us instead of staring at our screens any chance that we get. Human connection, it's a real human need.

So I have been challenging myself. I deleted my social media apps from my phone. I have been meeting with friends I love and with friends I'm in disagreement with currently. BOTH of these things are feeding my soul because it's off screens and it feels so human.

And I did another thing that I used to do. I wrote a letter to all the residents at my condominiums and made simple care packages with inspirational messages on stickers, tissue packs, stress balls, threw in some mints, a custom made magnet with my contact info on it and a little tissue paper. Then I paid my daughter $50 to hang a bag on the handle of every door at our complex (because I am older and lazier than I used to be).

The letter went a little something like this:

Hello Neighbor(s),

My name is Crystal and my children (15, 17, 19, 20), my cats, our fish, (and I) reside with you here at our condominiums. I own a cleaning company and a photography business, all of which keep me plenty busy these days!

Even in the busy-ness, though, I wanted to reach out and wish you a warm holiday season from our family to yours. This year seems like it could be particularly challenging for individuals, and families to find joy and support through this season. That is why I am writing to you today.

With all the changes and challenges going on in our city, state and country, I wanted to extend my hand and offer myself as a resource to anyone in need of help. I think we do better in community when we make efforts to get to know each other and find avenues of support for people in need.

I also just want to get to know you and your family! With work and technology always driving us to retreat in our time off, it can be challenging to connect with the people nearest to us in proximity. But it would increase my enjoyment in life to actually know the people I see in passing on a semi regular basis. So maybe this is a selfish request! Will you help me enrich my life by allowing me to get to know you?

If so, please feel free to reach out by stopping by our unit, writing a note in return, or giving me a call or text. It would bring a smile to my face to get to know you and your family better.

And please, do let me know if there are any immediate needs you or your family might have. I am happy to help connect you to resources and to do what I can to help you meet your needs. Especially, if you are currently in a position where finding help means risking your safety. (For example, if you need to visit a food bank but risk being targeted with discrimination and violence in doing so.) I am here. I am happy to help whatever the need might be.

I am looking forward to getting to know some of you better and I hope to be a part of strengthening the community and connection here.

Wishing you the best this holiday season!

Warmly,

Crystal
(and family, cats, and Simeon the fish)


AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT?!?! People are actually responding!

I have a coffee date tomorrow morning with someone who just moved in two weeks ago from the East coast, who claims my care package came at just the right time because it has been a tough transition.

And I received a text from the woman who's mail we receive because her pen pals always write the wrong unit number on the envelope.

And the man who's cat we found this fall reached out to say he could change the light bulbs in my building's stairwell.

And, and, and, and, and... I'm looking forward to more.

And it feels good. This is what we are made for!

So, get creative. Be bold. Do uncomfortable things and watch the magic happen.