Who Are Those Masked People In Your Neighborhood?

“Definition of promenade

1: a place for strolling

2: a leisurely walk or ride especially in a public place for pleasure or display

Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 14….let’s celebrate the light with an official afternoon promenade! All ideas welcomed to make this a fun, family event!”

We got this invitation the day after my dad passed away from complications due to COVID. To be honest, I didn’t really have it in me at the time to be excited about celebrating anything. Dad had been ill for almost two months and it seemed like every day had been different, up or down, cautiously optimistic or preparing for the worst. My emotions had been through the wringer.

I wanted to support the neighborhood event, but we had just been through an experience brought on because this disease just keeps on passing from person to person. I wanted to participate and meet our neighbors, but we weren’t even eligible for vaccination yet and we were trying to stay out of crowds, both for our own health and to help protect others. What to do?

I responded, “May we encourage masks and social distancing? This is a great idea!” and voted in the poll for it to be held at 6:30 pm. No one else commented or responded to my question, so I figured we’d wait and see, trying to be optimistic.

When we moved into our neighborhood, twenty-some-odd years ago, most of our neighbors were in their seventies and eighties. I remember our next door neighbor telling us that the people who lived there were the original owners of the houses and that when they moved, most of them moved to Wesley Terrace, the only local assisted living facility at the time.

It was a close-knit community of friends and not only did they throw a “Meet the new neighbors” event for us, but they gave us a neighborhood directory with names, addresses, and phone numbers in order as you moved down the street. There was a Christmas open house and a spring potluck picnic that year too. They made us feel welcomed and at home.

After a year or two, the neighborhood events dwindled as residents moved or became unable to host. Most of us fell victim to the busyness of life and shuttling kids from one activity to another. We lost touch.

But when things shut down last March, something happened that hadn’t happened in years. With nowhere to go, people came out of their houses and went for walks. Parents pushed strollers. Kids rode bikes. Most people had masks, and all kept their distance, but neighbors would stop in the street and spend time in conversation. We met people we’d only seen in passing cars, learned who the people in our neighborhood were these days, and realized how much we’d missed that feeling of community.

Then things began to open up, sending kids back to school and parents back to work, and once again neighborhood contact began to wane. However, a few in our neighborhood decided that wasn’t okay. Someone started a closed social media group and opened a conversation. The notice about the promenade appeared and suddenly people were talking.

The night of the event, our neighborhood showed up. Anyone who wasn’t comfortable strolling or needed extra social distancing was encouraged to set up lawn chairs in their yard or driveway. A family with a newborn and one elderly person chose this option. We all got to stop and admire the tiny new neighbor from a safe distance and see the elderly neighbor for the first time in a year and catch up on the news.

One family’s daughter baked dozens of chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and ginger cookies and set up a table and a sign in front of their house. This turned into a stop for conversation. Another couple circulated with a tray of beverages in disposable cups, creating another conversation stop. A third stop included someone sharing drinks with those who brought their own glasses. There was a card table containing a sign-up sheet for those who wanted to participate in a neighborhood directory. Almost the entire neighborhood came out to stroll, converse, and enjoy the beautiful evening. The promenade was a success. As a result, we now have plans for an evening visit from Drive-By Tacos and a bring-your-own chairs movie event.

“Who are the people in your neighborhood?”* What kinds of things would bring them together? With a little creativity, I imagine you can re-create the fun we had at our own inaugural event. The pandemic has prevented us from travel, vacations, visits with family and friends, and kept children and grandparents apart. We’re still in the learning curve with COVID, but we humans thrive on connection and events like ours are doable with a little advance planning.

Kent and I wore our masks and participated. We backed away a few times and received a few puzzled looks, but we had fun. My feelings were still pretty raw form the last couple of months and seeing many without masks was disconcerting, but our neighbors were all wonderful and looked past the mask without any hesitation. We were glad we went and came home feeling much more cheerful.

The first day of Daylight Savings Time was a perfect choice for an evening promenade. Flowers were blooming, trees were budding, and the temperature was just right for an evening walk. The fact of my dad’s passing made me more sensitive to the beauty of the spring evening, the calm of a weekend night with no traffic, and the joy of getting reacquainted with neighbors. It made me realize how good it is to see people again and what hope the ability to come outside of our homes brings.

Spring. Easter. Hope.

He is risen!

Be safe. Be well. Be blessed.

*Sesame Street album Platinum All-Time Favorites