We live in a time of instant communication with friends and family, local and around the world. And yet it seems to be a constant refrain when asked if we’ve seen someone we’re close to that we haven’t, and it’s too bad because oftentimes they live in the same community.
It seems that proximity is everything, and yet we all value our independence to lead our own lives and we want to have freedom to pursue our own interests.
Consider how things could be different if you lived in a community with several good friends who lived not with you, but within easy walking distance perhaps a few units away, or perhaps a 5 minute walk through the garden. You might schedule a time several times a week to walk the dog, or have morning coffee and walk, or perhaps get together once or twice a week for dinner.
This is living that offers both privacy and community on your own terms.
The opportunities are great in this for people of all ages.
For those in their 30s or 40s or 50s still in the prime of life but super busy it’s even harder sometimes to connect but having someone nearby for that scheduled walk or a quick cup of coffee, or just running into them at the mailbox offers a simple but incredibly valuable connection that brings some grounding in the middle of a hectic life.
Perhaps especially for empty nesters and those approaching the latter decades of their life this provides a very important value. Overtime, as our number of connections begins to decline ,this offers an opportunity for a close by community which at that point becomes even more central and a healthful source of human interaction with those we care for.