Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Neighbourhood Day

A new side project I've taken on in my copious free time this year is joining my neighbourhood homeowners' association. I'd considered joining last year but didn't find my resolve until the winter newsletter came out, stating that there had been so little interest at the annual meeting that the board members actually had to go out and knock on doors for proxy votes to reach a quorum (roughly 26 total votes of 260 households). I decided it'd be worth joining even if just to arrest the entropy and disinterest.

I've attended each monthly meeting since Christmas and am now a board member on a trial basis until regular elections in October. My impression of the HOA up until now has always been pretty neutral -- I always used to appreciate that our dues were super-low and the board seemed mostly hands off (a complete 180 from the usual HOA power trip stories you read on the Internet), so it's very interesting to actually participate and see the complexity of what's going on under the hood. Hearing about the problems that the HOA deals with each month has inspired me to start morning walks with Ian where we hit every street and court that's a part of the HOA at least once a week. I also built a Church Mills Homeowners Assocation website, the first one we've had in over a decade.

Independent of the HOA, I've taken on some maintenance of the common ground sidewalk around the corner from my house. The common grounds get a cursory mow every few weeks, but our dues are so low that no maintenance is done to keep the forest (and poison ivy) at bay and the trash off the streets.

I realized throughout the pandemic that the absence of real connection is something that many people struggle with. Joining the HOA and cleaning up the sidewalk are conscious, simple actions I can take to improve the world at a very hyper-local level. I'm not someone that wants to go out and meet everyone on the street, but I can definitely take small steps to model the type of neighbour I'd want to live next to. I can grumble about the people dumping Taco Bell wrappers out of their cars or take less than 5 minutes to clean it up.

If you also feel the need to make a connection or bring about positive change but aren't sure where to start, consider something local and personal where you can make a tangible difference. Supporting a global or national cause is very noble but one could advocate for big, bold ideas (social change, racial justice, and more) for years without moving the needle. Instead, volunteer at the voting booths or join a beautification effort.

When I do something at this level, I can immediately see the impact (and enjoy it myself!) I feel more connected to where I live and satisfy my intrinsic need to create or improve something, much more so than when I'm just donating money to good causes like our local food banks.

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