Day 20: Your ideal neighbors

What if you could populate your whole neighborhood with your favorite people? Who would make the cut? Family? (Some but not all, perhaps?) Old friends? New friends? Would any of your current neighbors get to stay? Have any of your co-workers or fellow students or other acquaintances moved up to A-list status? Would you take one person but not their spouse (or children)?

Pic of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, because we're talking about neighbors, plus I just really love Fred Rogers

It's possible that you don't live in a suburban neighborhood like I do, with traditional rows of houses and sidewalks and a bank of mailboxes. Maybe you live in a big apartment building and don't know any of your neighbors, or maybe you intentionally chose a home in a remote area in order to avoid having close neighbors. That's fine; the point is to consider who you most enjoy spending time with.

Make a list of your very favorite people in your life. If you have time, write something about each person: what you like about them, what role they have played in your life, what you have learned from them, favorite memories involving them.

I've been thinking about this topic for years; it's actually one of the variations of heaven I have imagined. I'm fortunate to have a lovely family who gets along well, so last month's reunion was a mini version of this "choose your neighbors" idea. But when I add in my extended family, in-law family, childhood friends, college friends, and church friends from several congregations we've attended over the years, the list gets pretty long. I'm a bit of a hoarder when it comes to things, so why wouldn't I also hoard favorite people? I'm gonna need a really large block.