Defining Wealth

Every day, I drive to and from work through a neighborhood that could be defined as “the wrong side of the tracks”.  It’s low-income and a lot of government subsidized housing.  A few years ago there was a shooting in a playground.  The residents post signs that read “We love you.  Stop shooting.”

There really isn’t any way for me to get to/from work without going through a neighborhood like this.  And this one is the shortest route, time-wise.  I admit that I lock my doors and keep an eye on my surroundings when I drive through this part of town. 

But, in the past couple months, something else has struck me about this neighborhood.  It is a community in the truest sense of the word.  In the summertime, people are out on their front stoops, sitting on benches or walking around the neighborhood visiting.  Children run and play ball, swing in the new playground. 

I see parents, grandparents and older siblings seeing young children safely to the bus stop.  I see neighbors people waving at each other – house to house, car to sidewalk, across the street.  It’s the kind of neighborhood where a driver will stop in the middle of the road to say “Hi” to someone they know.

And while I wish they would pull over, I can’t help but envy the people of this neighborhood a bit.

I live in a “nice” suburban neighborhood.  People paid full price for their homes, they own multiple cars --- and I rarely see them. 

In the summer everyone is holed up in the comfort of the air conditioning.  Kids don’t run from house to house, or ride their bikes up and down the street.  Many of us ride our kids to the bus stop, or even to school.  

We might say hi if we see each other while shoveling driveways or raking leaves, but if we are driving, the most we might do is smile and wave. 

We don’t go to one another’s homes in the evening for an iced tea or a beer.  We don’t sit outside and talk across the yards.  Kids aren't walking to each others houses.

I find my neighborhood a bit lonely.

I guess a lot of people would look at the neighborhood I see in my commute as poor.  But I think they are rich in ways that many of us just don’t understand or have enough appreciation for.