I find it is incredibly easy to be withdrawn during the winter. We have a built in excuse to avoid meeting people, which can be comforting. That could be a bit lonely, but the joy of getting out in the cities is finding something to do until it becomes bearable and you can see someone walking around in your neighborhood.
We spent some time out at a friend's house tonight and we discussed how no matter what we live right next door to someone does not mean we needed to be best friends. It would certainly be convenient but they made a good point, proximity is not a necessary to be a cause to enjoy ones company. That goes for everyone living next to me; meaning they don't have to like me because I happen to live next door.
I have been lucky to work on a project with a great team at work we were awarded for our successes over the last year with a lunch at McCormick and Schick's. I took the advice and tried the Steelhead Trout. Quite yummy, actually.
This team is a great example of people wanting to break down some walls and encouraging each other in trying to accomplish something that has not been done before, working on community project with high level of involvement through non-traditional channels. It's early but it could really be a systematic approach that changes the social marketing dynamic. Can we attempt to make changes in our communities without the help of the people that live there? Probably not, but what if they are not involved. In many cases we are presenting choices that make their lives better, but traditional communication is so tough to reach people. If you are not connected to them somewhere they are more interested the traditional ways of communication will not work.
So many of the traditional neighborhoods are not connected. It is more likely many families are more connected to people that share the same school or church than who is living in the house next to them. Your choice of communicating to those trusted connections are probably more effective.
Friday is finally here and I will enjoy the rest of it by trying to read my eyelids a bit.
Soundtrack for this rambling writing is the Avett Brothers.
