Got the bike out again today to ride Boy Wonder over to visit a friend in his neighbourhood - made it (miracle) ! On route saw another 6163 mum with her boys riding the streets in the (nearly) requisite transport for this neighbourhood - the cargo bike - gave her a wave and went on my merry way. Then I saw another mum friend with her 2 juniors on route to the park where others would be gathering. Stopped... chatted - said I'd see her soon with little Miss. Dropped Boy Wonder and had a good chat with Boy Wonder's friend's mum about various sustainability measures in their house and the beauty of gardening I could have talked all day but it was off to the park to hang out with some mum friends where the conversation ranged (amongst many things) from current fiction and non-fiction people are reading, the negatives and positives of reading the blogs of other mums, and cooking wholefood ...or not. Then it was back to someone's house to extend the never ending desire of our children to keep playing, and allow us mums to keep the conversation going - as best one can with kids. Then it was off to drop a food parcel to a mum whose husband is away - just as someone did for me last week when my partner in crime was away, to make someone's life that little bit easier and just to know people in the neighbourhood are thinking of you - which was how I felt.
What on earth is this all about you ask ?... well, for a while now I've been thinking about community - what does it really mean to be a part of a community, do they really exist, will I ever be a part of one, or find one for my children that meets what I think I want for them to experience ? I have looked for a long time, but since moving to 6163 and slowly establishing my life and my children's lives here I have days like today (which are really very standard in this place & happen all the time), where I realise how good it makes me feel that I know the people I see around my neighbourhood and not only that, I really like a lot of them and my children want to hang out with their children, and we seem to share some of the same views and manage to have interesting conversations about all sorts of things, and I stop and think that, sure it isn't perfect, but maybe, just maybe, I... we ... belong .... and that this IS community.
