“We moved. Our honeymoon phase was shattered when I watched our neighbor march his children inside, screaming at them. Now I feel like we’re really here. This drama maybe becomes our drama.”
Megan
We moved to Garfield recently. We lived in Lawrenceville for twelve years since we got married and both work in Lawrenceville. We both own small businesses. Moving to Garfield we sleep better. In Lawrenceville we were sandwiched between a bar and a condo construction. Our upstairs neighbor had wood floors and obsessively cleaned, vacuumed, and rearranged furniture at two in the morning. Now we wake up to the birds, and see the sky out our windows. It feels like a completely different universe.
Owning our home, I feel more responsible to the neighborhood. Our honeymoon phase was shattered this week when I watched our neighbor march his children inside, screaming at them that they were “failures.” Now I feel a greater sense of getting to know the kids. Trevor’s been doing great taking Wendell out in the evenings and learning names. There’s children everywhere, which is really fun. It’s nice that it’s safe enough they play in the street. Now I feel a little more like, “wow we’re really here,” so some of this drama maybe becomes our drama at some point.
Trevor
Where we had been living previously, we got to know some of the neighbors, but weren’t really invested. Now we’re much more invested. It’s a small cul-de-sac street. Knowing how to have good boundaries with people and when to get involved, when not to get involved – it’s been interesting to think about.
Megan
We’re trying to be persons of peace in the neighborhood. Just gentle and kind. We were thrilled to realize that it’s a very racially mixed street and neighborhood. It’s a surprise and blessing to realize how this neighborhood is diverse. I’d love to see that happening more around town.
Always Made New 