Ode to roommates

Speaking of community....I'm on the search for a new roommate. Here we go again! I just tried to count...and let's see...I can count 17 different roommates I've had in the last 9-10 years. That's not counting families or random places I've lived for just a couple weeks/months at a time. Some were okay...some were disturbing...some were amazing! I've had great roommates my last 2 rounds...Stacie, Ashley...I love you both. Am I really fortunate enough to find someone else as great? even half-as would do!

So, here's an ode to my roommates good and bad:

Thanks for the fun, memories, and love

Living with some of you, fit like a glove.

I can't count the late-night talks at our pad

You're the sisters I never had

Dinners, dance parties, and chick-flicks -

Locking me in the bathroom to make me crawl out of the window in my towel was not that funny of a trick

You cheer me up when I'm down

Usually, by getting us to act like clowns

When it came to rent

you always paid your half

You never fell short on making me laugh

Sixteen candles, turbo jam, and falling star

Treasured most, you know who you are

But to all those in between

those who never met a mop,

A broom or mr. clean

Not flushing the brownies is just plain mean.

Wipe your hairs out of the sink

off the mirror and shower walls

I always wondered, how are you not bald?

60 in the summer, and 85 in the winter? Something is wrong

I can already tell, we won't last for long

Words that come to mind - lazy, slob, loud, and bipolar

Some of you have problems, you see

there is no shame in therapy!

Who's your neighbor?

so I got into this discussion with some of the families going through our new homeowner partnership. They all put 500 hours into building their future home...but also other partner family homes. Above, you see 4 future homeowners helping build Stacy's house (far right).

They are a silly group of gals, to say the least....

But we got in this disucssion about neighbors and if you like to actually know...or have a personal relationship with your neighbors. Three of these ladies are going to have their homes built on the same street, but they had opposing views on if they wanted to actually live next to each other. Some thought it would be great to be neighbors since they've spent so much time together, but some thought it would invade their privacy....their personal space.

Now, I'm not picking on any of the ideas or thoughts they had about this, but at first, I thought...I like my privacy too. I wouldn't want someone knocking on my door every time they're bored or need something. I'd want to walk to my car without having to run into someone and make conversation with them.

But is there something flawed in that thinking? Why do we seek "privacy"? What happened to community? Living together...helping each other out...i'm not talking about being needy and expecting others to take care of you...but just being available for others....and here we are avoiding even being seen. Now that I"m thinking of it...I don't really know my neighbors. I recognize a few people that live in the same complex, but I don't know anyone by name. Is that messed up or what?