Did you know?
…the gate in the fence of our backyard wasn’t always there.
I remember that big storm a few years ago. We got up in the morning after a restless night and our old fence was gone.
Well, of course it wasn’t really GONE, but it was completely knocked down. And to our surprise there was a whole neighborhood, we did not notice before, on the other side.
When we went to prop up the fence, a head popped up on the other side, offering her help. As it turned out, our neighbors were two lovely ladies with a bunch of children and obviously many friends, who seemed to be pleased to meet their neighbors (us!) too.
Asked, if they would chip in on the cost for a new fence, they agreed, under one condition. They wanted us to add a gate between our backyards – they insisted creating a connection between our properties. What a radical thought! We were delighted!
Fast forward 3 years from then, the gate just got a rainbow coloring from 9 year old J., who’s already a great artist with colors, and her little 2-year-old brother F. currently is holding his afternoon naps in our closet, because on his side of the fence there is a construction site, and our closet is the quietest place in the neighborhood.
This gate became the door opener to our little community. We share a lot. We share the kids and opinions, emotional and physical support, eggs and maple syrup, birthday parties and memories, good and not so good days, and often hugs and lots of fun.
And we frequently share the story of the gate because it changed the way we live here in our neighborhood. It started a community; it literally opened the possibility to connect to a whole posse of wonderful people we didn’t know before, and who we would dearly miss in our lives today. It’s that easy.
Where do you have a door open in your fences?
Tell us what you think.
Grateful to have you as part of our community,
Sandy & Susan
Coaching to Connection
