Do you feel as if your neighborhood is an extension of your home or merely land surrounding your house?

For today’s BLOG entry, I have chosen to write more about my surroundings – as a child and as an adult – and the impact my neighborhood had/has on my life.  Perhaps you will be able to relate.  If so, please do provide your story.

I grew up in the small, 100-home community called Tauxemont — located a few miles south of Alexandria, Virginia and a dozen miles from Washington, D.C.    In 1947, when my parents bought their first home in this budding community, it was in the middle of nowhere.  Fort Hunt Road was bluestone not asphalt, and the half acre lots were surrounded by a wooded oasis as far as the eye could see.  There were no stores within walking distance, and most families did not have two cars.  As a result, the neighbors relied heavily on each other for companionship, transportation and a connection with the outside world.  Whether you were an adult or a child, the members of this community depended upon each other. 

I will not bore you with too many personal details of that time in my life; however, I do want to emphasis the memories that flash through my mind of how cohesive Tauxemont people were – and still are.  I distinctly remember how connected my parents were with their neighbors:  countless pot luck dinners for couples, Tuesday morning Bridge games for the ladies, neighborhood picnics for the families, spring garden walks to share ideas for grooming yards, and the list of social events goes on . . .   The children of our parents’ friends became our friends.  In addition, kids ran freely through the woods to each other’s homes knowing that dinner was at a specific time, and they needed to be prompt or miss the meal.    Each child had more than one set of “parents” because all of the parents of Tauxemont had watchful eyes, similar rules and the ability/approval to discipline bad behavior.   The network of friendships was tight and unified.   It was quite a utopia in which to live – for both adults and children.

Flash forward a few decades . . . Tauxemont is no longer an isolated community.   The rural ambiance has disappeared.  The area has mushroomed as acre after acre of surrounding land is mowed down and neighborhood after neighborhood pops up.  The peaceful, isolated aura of Tauxemont is gone, replaced by congestion, convenience and an urban “feel”; however, the cohesiveness of the community remains.

It was about this time in my life that I met and married my husband.  We searched for a place to live and decided to buy one of those 100 homes in Tauxemont.  It was around the corner and down the hill from my parents’ home.   Many of our neighbors were people I had known all of my life.  We reared our two children in that loving environment.

Fast forward a couple more decades . . . our children are grown – they’ve finished college — they are married – our “nest” is empty.  Tauxemont is still a tight-knit, loving community; however, the Washington, D. C. area is extremely over-crowded, hectic and too expensive for our retired salaries and our maturing mentality.

Even though I did not want to move, I knew we eventually had to do it.

My husband and I began our search for a new home by visiting places in North Carolina.  We instantly fell in love with Lake Norman.   However, I was not willing to trade a life on the lake for an isolated existence.  I wanted a neighborhood like the one I was leaving.  My desire was to find a place where the residents were not just people who lived near or next to me – but neighbors who were also my friends.  I wanted a home with a vibrant, active community much like the one I was leaving behind.

For two and a half years, my husband and I circled Lake Norman and discovered every road and cove in all four counties.  To my surprise, we toured beautiful neighborhoods – looked at over one hundred homes – but rarely did we see any people:  no residents walking dogs, no children riding bikes, no neighbors congregating on the corner.  The streets were well manicured, the landscaping was magnificent, the houses were amazing and the views were spectacular – but none of the areas called out to me.  My greatest fear was to move from an area I had known and loved my entire life –  to a place where I had no friends and no way to connect with people.

Then – one day – we discovered a new community.  It was a cool, fall day.  The house was quaint – filled with warm sunshine that lit up the rooms – but more importantly, there were people everywhere in the neighborhood:  children playing, ladies walking their dogs, a game of flag football in the common area, people riding bicycles.  I heard laughter and chatter.  People not only stopped to wave at me, they also smiled — as if they knew me before we were introduced.   Everything about the neighborhood was welcoming – inviting.  We put a contract on the house.  It took my husband and me a long time to find this “heaven on earth” in North Carolina; however, we instinctively knew it was a good choice for us.

Ten years later, I participate on committees with many of my neighbors.  Together – men and women of all ages – teenagers to retirees — the most amazing set of people – organize, create, plan and host events for children, men, women, couples and occasions.  Just like in my beloved Tauxemont, this wonderful community hosts bonding events that bring the residents together . . . pool parties, children & adult seasonal festivities, two massive community yard sales where neighbors engage with neighbors, Yoga on the Lawn, Bunco, Fishing, Tennis and Pickle Ball tournaments, Picnics in the Park where children and pets romp in the grass while adults listen to music, an evening of luminaries when every street in the neighborhood is lined with candles and families mingle with families over hot cocoa and conversation . . . and the list of events goes on and on throughout the calendar year.

There is no isolation in this community– there are only friendly smiles and bonding moments.    We do not simply drive the streets of our neighborhood to our own personal driveways, walk into our houses and close the door.  We interact.  We are involved.  We donate our time and work together creating a web of support and camaraderie.   This does not just miraculously “happen” – it is a conscious choice – and it is what makes our community strong, beloved and unified.   Our home is not just the building we inhabit – it’s the people who surround us!

The dynamics of the community is a major reason why my house feels like a home, and why I have never been sorry I moved to Mooresville.

In this transient world we live in . . . do you have a story about being “transplanted?”    

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/booksbytesajones/

Check it out on AMAZON

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/take2withtesa/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1690353.Tesa_Jones

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/cobwebsoftime/

View all BLOG posts at https://www.booksbytesajones.com/category/blog/