I really enjoyed this, Cathy. It's evident why you get such special treatment. Your kindness is evident. I loved coming along for this week in the life. I don't want to blow up your comments because i know how these things are.. but I switched to Mac years ago, just sayin' 😉. I'm still a huge fan of the voiceover. Thanks for a lovely post! 🙏🏻
First of all, I'm so sorry about your computer troubles. I know how painful and infuriating that can be! I'm glad the Geek Squad were able to set your world to rights without too much trouble.
What a lovely invitation to join you in a stroll through your neighborhood - a place I'm sure is brighter and friendlier for having you in it. I live in a relatively small town (I think we have a population of about 13,000), so one of my joys is running into the same people all the time. Weirdly, I rarely see people I know very well. But I do see a regular cast of characters while out on my daily dog walks in the late morning and late afternoon - other dog walkers and moms with strollers and older folks out getting their steps in. It's so nice to stop for a quick chat about the weather or the town meeting or our respective gardens or whatever.
Someone I usually see every day is Steve, the postman. He always has dog cookies in his pocket for my canine charges, and a smile and moment of chatting for me. Right now, he is on vacation for a few months, recovering from hip surgery. I was surprised by how much his absence changed the vibe of my mornings. It has been an adjustment to know I won't see him out there, that we won't be trading thoughts about whether we dressed appropriately for our outdoor time, that we won't commiserate about the latest horrific news headlines or trade recommendations about TV shows. They are small interactions, but very much missed. I hope he's back on the beat soon.
Thanks for reminding us to value these little moments of connection. xo
I love this introduction to your "relatively small" home town, Jamie! I am so happy to read all the joy you are finding there! The first place I lived in Connecticut was even smaller, and my experience was quite different. I did not expect that. People did not talk to each other. And unlike us, people did not walk - except to go to/from their car. Walking is such a great connector!
And how wonderful to meet Steve! I hope he heals well from his surgery and is back with you soon. People like Steve are the glue holding communities together. We need more! Little moments of connection are of such great value. We feel their gift in the moment - and they grow over time. They are to be cherished.
Thank you so much for so generously sharing this beautiful introduction to your community!
I’m not at 100%, but I do tend to focus on what can go right. I hadn’t thought about that being my compass and it really resonates with me. Thank you for offering that, Steve!
I love this Cathy! You have so many sweet encounters where you really take them in and absorb the good! I also come across delightful and heartwarming experiences with random people, and they truly do warm my heart and go a distance in restoring faith in humanity despite the news. What I don't do so much (and your writing is a wonderful reminder of), is give these experiences more airtime and sync it into my soul, perhaps then down and re-telling it, even to myself in end of the day reflection time. This is a good note to self about taking in the good more deeply!
Thank you so much for sharing this, Heidi! To me, the important piece is that you are finding these experiences to be what sounds like something almost profound. Warming your heart and replacing news angst with a healing faith of humanity is such a beautiful thing! I love the idea of reflecting on some of these interactions at the end of the day, and maybe sharing that experience with others. It's all wonderful!!
Thank you, thank you, for reminding us, as you so often do, that joy is a choice. My neighborhood backs up to a high school, and on Friday nights in the Fall, I can hear the band play at their football games from my back porch. It's such a nostalgic sound. We go to a game every now and again, and the tickets are still $5, like they were back when I was in high school, although now you can pay with Venmo. We sit in the stands and feel the power of community. I just love it. Thank you for being the kind of neighbor who makes those around you smile.
Thank you for calling out that joy is a choice, Jess - I couldn't agree more!
How wonderful that the high school behind you is sharing teenaged joy out beyond their stadium. Joy really cannot be contained anyway, even if someone tried. What a wonderful experience for you to be a part of that community - whether from the stands or from your porch. That is how I feel about my community, as well. 💕❤️💕
Lovely, positive moments, Cathy. Your microsoft issue concerns me, as I use the same software platform. It's great to know the Geek Squad helped. Something I'm reminded of in your post is how warm and neighbourly living in a large city can be. That was always my experience of Toronto, having made my home in a number of core neighbourhoods over the years. Personal connections ensured that those local communities felt friendly to me, and beautiful. Now that I live in a suburban neighbourhood in a different city and province, while I value my relationships with neighbours, I also especially cherish the local woods, ravines, and river settings. Those things were important in Toronto, too. (It's a green city!) But here, the natural world is everywhere. I think taking time to walk among the trees has become more important than ever. Maybe it's part of aging. Thanks for the invitation to reflect.
Thank you for this incredibly generous comment, Robin! I wanted to share the Microsoft experience since it could affect so very many of us. They need to do better for their customers! And people need to know how to fix it if needed.
I agree that large cities can be very neighborly. For me, each NYC neighborhood has its own personality. I imagine that Toronto was the same. I have gone there several times for work, but did not have time to explore. Your current home sounds breathtakingly beautiful, and that has been validated in so many photos you have shared. I am always happy to share in those vicarious experiences!!
I enjoy these walks with you, Cathy, and hope one day they can be in person. Moving from a busy, ever-expanding city to this small rural town has been a delightful change. Discovering local cafes, joining a book group, and meeting the residents brings me joy. Meeting Sue Ferrera face-to-face was especially fun. We're planning to talk later this morning. In many ways, Substack feels like my neighborhood.
I never thought about Substack as a neighborhood and I absolutely agree!!! Thank you for mentioning that!
Your rural community sounds very much like my urban one. NYC is a huge city, but it is made up of so many distinct neighborhoods, each with their own character. I look forward to the possibility of us walking together on one coast or the other - or even in between! 💕
Loved walking with you! Oh, a coffee soft serve, still my beating heart! Coffee ice cream is our favorite desert which we enjoy often. I typically let it melt and then stir it into a soft serve. I also love neighborhood connections, and kind gestures. And what fun to meet a fellow Substacker. I enjoyed meeting Paulette so much last year. We now talk on the phone most weeks and are planning another meeting hopefully this summer. Please let me know if you are ever on the west coast!
Cathy you are such a joy-to read, to know and to walk by in your 'town.' You have made NYC your town. I live in a quiet neighborhood with sidewalks that connects to the Rose Bowl and the 3.5 mile walk around it. Since the pandemic, our street is part of the route of many walkers because it adds a small hill. I stay in one place weeding and gardening in the front yard and greet and share stories with the walkers passing by.
Thank you for this oh so nice comment, Leslie! How perfect to be in a lovely, quiet neighborhood and to have this incredible-sounding Rose Bowl path nearby. And I love that you are the center point, inviting all who walk by to share your garden and a chat. You are now a destination. How great is that?!
I really enjoyed this, Cathy. It's evident why you get such special treatment. Your kindness is evident. I loved coming along for this week in the life. I don't want to blow up your comments because i know how these things are.. but I switched to Mac years ago, just sayin' 😉. I'm still a huge fan of the voiceover. Thanks for a lovely post! 🙏🏻
Cathy, I loved this walk through your week and getting a happy dose of the goodness in your life. It gave me several smiles.
Thank you, Sandra! Making you smile made my day…! 😍
First of all, I'm so sorry about your computer troubles. I know how painful and infuriating that can be! I'm glad the Geek Squad were able to set your world to rights without too much trouble.
What a lovely invitation to join you in a stroll through your neighborhood - a place I'm sure is brighter and friendlier for having you in it. I live in a relatively small town (I think we have a population of about 13,000), so one of my joys is running into the same people all the time. Weirdly, I rarely see people I know very well. But I do see a regular cast of characters while out on my daily dog walks in the late morning and late afternoon - other dog walkers and moms with strollers and older folks out getting their steps in. It's so nice to stop for a quick chat about the weather or the town meeting or our respective gardens or whatever.
Someone I usually see every day is Steve, the postman. He always has dog cookies in his pocket for my canine charges, and a smile and moment of chatting for me. Right now, he is on vacation for a few months, recovering from hip surgery. I was surprised by how much his absence changed the vibe of my mornings. It has been an adjustment to know I won't see him out there, that we won't be trading thoughts about whether we dressed appropriately for our outdoor time, that we won't commiserate about the latest horrific news headlines or trade recommendations about TV shows. They are small interactions, but very much missed. I hope he's back on the beat soon.
Thanks for reminding us to value these little moments of connection. xo
I love this introduction to your "relatively small" home town, Jamie! I am so happy to read all the joy you are finding there! The first place I lived in Connecticut was even smaller, and my experience was quite different. I did not expect that. People did not talk to each other. And unlike us, people did not walk - except to go to/from their car. Walking is such a great connector!
And how wonderful to meet Steve! I hope he heals well from his surgery and is back with you soon. People like Steve are the glue holding communities together. We need more! Little moments of connection are of such great value. We feel their gift in the moment - and they grow over time. They are to be cherished.
Thank you so much for so generously sharing this beautiful introduction to your community!
💕❤️💕
The act of what can go right not wrong seems to be your compass. Fun to read
I’m not at 100%, but I do tend to focus on what can go right. I hadn’t thought about that being my compass and it really resonates with me. Thank you for offering that, Steve!
I love this Cathy! You have so many sweet encounters where you really take them in and absorb the good! I also come across delightful and heartwarming experiences with random people, and they truly do warm my heart and go a distance in restoring faith in humanity despite the news. What I don't do so much (and your writing is a wonderful reminder of), is give these experiences more airtime and sync it into my soul, perhaps then down and re-telling it, even to myself in end of the day reflection time. This is a good note to self about taking in the good more deeply!
Thank you so much for sharing this, Heidi! To me, the important piece is that you are finding these experiences to be what sounds like something almost profound. Warming your heart and replacing news angst with a healing faith of humanity is such a beautiful thing! I love the idea of reflecting on some of these interactions at the end of the day, and maybe sharing that experience with others. It's all wonderful!!
Thank you, thank you, for reminding us, as you so often do, that joy is a choice. My neighborhood backs up to a high school, and on Friday nights in the Fall, I can hear the band play at their football games from my back porch. It's such a nostalgic sound. We go to a game every now and again, and the tickets are still $5, like they were back when I was in high school, although now you can pay with Venmo. We sit in the stands and feel the power of community. I just love it. Thank you for being the kind of neighbor who makes those around you smile.
Thank you for calling out that joy is a choice, Jess - I couldn't agree more!
How wonderful that the high school behind you is sharing teenaged joy out beyond their stadium. Joy really cannot be contained anyway, even if someone tried. What a wonderful experience for you to be a part of that community - whether from the stands or from your porch. That is how I feel about my community, as well. 💕❤️💕
Lovely, positive moments, Cathy. Your microsoft issue concerns me, as I use the same software platform. It's great to know the Geek Squad helped. Something I'm reminded of in your post is how warm and neighbourly living in a large city can be. That was always my experience of Toronto, having made my home in a number of core neighbourhoods over the years. Personal connections ensured that those local communities felt friendly to me, and beautiful. Now that I live in a suburban neighbourhood in a different city and province, while I value my relationships with neighbours, I also especially cherish the local woods, ravines, and river settings. Those things were important in Toronto, too. (It's a green city!) But here, the natural world is everywhere. I think taking time to walk among the trees has become more important than ever. Maybe it's part of aging. Thanks for the invitation to reflect.
Thank you for this incredibly generous comment, Robin! I wanted to share the Microsoft experience since it could affect so very many of us. They need to do better for their customers! And people need to know how to fix it if needed.
I agree that large cities can be very neighborly. For me, each NYC neighborhood has its own personality. I imagine that Toronto was the same. I have gone there several times for work, but did not have time to explore. Your current home sounds breathtakingly beautiful, and that has been validated in so many photos you have shared. I am always happy to share in those vicarious experiences!!
Aww, thanks so much. We live in a modest bungalow. But the environs are another story.
You had me at rivers, ravines and woods!! ☺️
😂
Aww, thanks so much. We live in a modest bungalow. But the environs are another story.
That's so awesome you're meeting a fellow Substacker in the city!
My second!! We have spoken for a year and a half and soon will have the luxury of continuing that in person. I cannot wait!! ☺️
Have a great time!
Thank you!!
I can't wait to walk your city with you in person and see this world through your eyes!!
I am counting the days!! 😍
I enjoy these walks with you, Cathy, and hope one day they can be in person. Moving from a busy, ever-expanding city to this small rural town has been a delightful change. Discovering local cafes, joining a book group, and meeting the residents brings me joy. Meeting Sue Ferrera face-to-face was especially fun. We're planning to talk later this morning. In many ways, Substack feels like my neighborhood.
I never thought about Substack as a neighborhood and I absolutely agree!!! Thank you for mentioning that!
Your rural community sounds very much like my urban one. NYC is a huge city, but it is made up of so many distinct neighborhoods, each with their own character. I look forward to the possibility of us walking together on one coast or the other - or even in between! 💕
Yes, we can imagine!
Loved walking with you! Oh, a coffee soft serve, still my beating heart! Coffee ice cream is our favorite desert which we enjoy often. I typically let it melt and then stir it into a soft serve. I also love neighborhood connections, and kind gestures. And what fun to meet a fellow Substacker. I enjoyed meeting Paulette so much last year. We now talk on the phone most weeks and are planning another meeting hopefully this summer. Please let me know if you are ever on the west coast!
A DIY soft serve - what a great idea!! I will absolutely let you know when I am on your coast. I would love to meet and explore your garden!!
Thanks so much for sharing this!
Cathy you are such a joy-to read, to know and to walk by in your 'town.' You have made NYC your town. I live in a quiet neighborhood with sidewalks that connects to the Rose Bowl and the 3.5 mile walk around it. Since the pandemic, our street is part of the route of many walkers because it adds a small hill. I stay in one place weeding and gardening in the front yard and greet and share stories with the walkers passing by.
Thank you for this oh so nice comment, Leslie! How perfect to be in a lovely, quiet neighborhood and to have this incredible-sounding Rose Bowl path nearby. And I love that you are the center point, inviting all who walk by to share your garden and a chat. You are now a destination. How great is that?!