More than three years ago I went to a Transition Town presentation and shortly after attended a training followed by a small committee meeting where we talked about the need to strengthen community especially in our own neighborhoods. I felt rather embarrassed at that meeting when I realized that I only knew the names of one or two of my neighbors. Mind you, I had been living in the same neighborhood for 25 years. Many of the people who lived nearby were recent arrivals, although some had moved in 10 or 15 years before and I still did not know them by name. I thought at the time that I needed to do something about my lack of connection to the people who were closest to me in proximity. It was clear in the conversation that most of the people in the committee meeting were as disconnected as I was. At the end of the meeting we agreed to take steps to reach out in our local areas. We hoped to hold one another accountable as a way of motivating change.
As circumstances would have it, that particular group never met with that same intention again, but as I reflect on my own journey, I realize that the group had a profound effect on me nonetheless. Today I know the names of all of my closest neighbors, a number who are some blocks farther away, and not just those who are in the same stage of life as my partner and I. Years before I had known at least by sight the neighbors who had children the same age as my own though I knew few other neighbors unless they had some kind of complaint. Now my neighbors keep one another apprised of neighborhood developments through email or conversations in the street. Not long ago I even took a flyer I made to my neighbors inviting them to a house meeting and this week another neighbor has invited everyone to a Memorial Day barbecue. The embarrassment of not knowing the people next door has been replaced by a satisfying sense of growing community spirit. It did not happen over night. I had to reach out to people one at a time.
As I pushed myself to reach out I learned that there was an official county neighbor association with elected officers and monthly meetings. For the first 25 years of living in the same place I am embarrassed to say, I did not know that it existed. I remember the first meeting that I went to quite well as I stood up to speak at the wrong moment and was told firmly to sit down by the chair. His behavior was not tolerated by the other members who encouraged my participation so I felt welcomed in spite of the call down.
I was chagrined to learn that I could not vote at the meeting even though I had lived in the neighborhood longer than many of the others. The group expected people to have participated in a minimum of five of the monthly meetings in order to become eligible to vote. I remember thinking that would mean five whole months which seemed like such a long time to have a voice and in the moment it probably was. I have been a voting member for several years now. The time of waiting to become familiar with the organization went by very quickly. I am able to express my opinion and vote on issues with some degree of understanding. I even know the people personally who were on the ballot for the water district and county commissioner positions. I am also able to invite and encourage new participants.
About the same time that I got involved with Transition thinking, I recognized the need to begin gardening again. Many years before I had raised vegetables when my children were young and I was at home with them. As I became involved in the work world I left gardening behind and allowed weeds and natural growth to take over my yard. At first I thought I could just hire some folks who put gardens in to get me on the road to growing food. However, after one look at my overgrown and tree shaded yard they declined stating a need to garden where there was a chance of success. I took a look around and realized with some embarrassment that I let everything grow to an unhealthy density. It was as if I let myself become barricaded from the surrounding community. And perhaps that is what I had done.
With the help of family and friends I began clearing out the overgrowth to let in the light. Down came blackberry vines and sucker trees. The Laurel Trees were trimmed back, thinned out and the resulting branches became a nice stash of firewood. With the help of a neighbor who owned a plow I put in a garden. It was thrilling to reap my first garden bounty although compared with what the garden produces today, it was really meager. Now my partner and I have learned to garden through the winter and there is always something to eat. We have planted many perennial food plants and find that we are asked for advice from others who have begun to take transition steps.
Every new step toward change seems huge at the time. I didn't know my neighbors' names. I didn't know how to use a cloche. Neighborhood meetings were a mystery. But now, looking back I know I have come quite a long ways even as looking forward I know there is a long way to go. Tomorrow the world could change. Energy depletion could catch up with our way of life. Cars and trucks could come to a standstill and the grocery shelves could be bare. But more than likely there is still a bit more time to move forward into a new localized existence. It is important to lay the foundations well; to know the people around us; to know how systems work; to be aware of weather patterns and planning meetings and to be intentional about the way we live. There is no way to hurry up the work that needs to get done if we want it to last, even when predictions of peak oil and peak everything cause anxiety or fear. For a new and sustainable future all any of us can do is to continue moving forward slowly and carefully as fast as we can.
