Last night was Seattle’s Night Out, where Seattle residents can block off their street and have a party! It’s something quite a few blocks take advantage of all over the city. This has been a tradition on our block, for at least as long as when we moved in 6 years ago. First we put sawhorses on each end of the block to keep out traffic. Then we pull out chairs, tables, the grill, fire pit, music system, etc., and have a party!
Today’s party helped me reflect on the important role of my community in helping me be a MommyFrog – trying to live “green” and raising my kids to do so too.
MonkeyWrench had a fabulous time playing with the older kids – something she does on a regular basis, but rarely all at the same time. Little Picklebee got passed around from the arms of adult to adult. I was able to have a great time deepening my relationships with the other folks on my block
Amidst all the talk of kids, remodeling, gardening, etc., I could sense the vibrant spirit of the community that we are building on our block. I received welcome offers of zuchinni, and found takers for my extra green beans. Talk about local food! And I found out that a neighbor takes extra garden food to the food bank, so I can also drop off extra with her. I made offers to water neighbors vegetable gardens, and enjoyed another neighbor’s solar-oven cooked chili. Sometimes when I’m so focused on the global scale of the problems our world is facing, it’s easy for me to forget that the first step of the solutions to these problems lies right at home, starting on my own block.
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