If you were lucky enough to grow up with neighbors whom you were close in age with, you know that it is probably one of the best experiences you could have asked for growing up. Those playdate buddies who happen to live just a couple houses down turn into your best friends. They are your forever friends; as a kid you always had a friend who lived right next door who you could play with. Your parents always bent the rules just a little bit when it came to them, because they knew you were just one house over. Curfew could be pushed back, and sleepovers could happen on weekdays. Your parents would babysit them and vice versa, which was just another excuse to make some crazy memories that would last forever.
In the summer, you turned your front yards into water balloon battlefields, and in the winter you made snow forts and attacked each other with snowballs from the comfort of your own front lawns. You’d catch a ride home from school with them, or even walk home together and hang out at one of your houses until your mom called and said it was time to eat. You’ve developed so many crazy and random inside jokes over the years and when you’d bring them up in front of your parents, they'd have no idea why you were laughing so hard. Your families are so close that you see each other on holidays, Christmas Eve especially.
As you got older, it became a tradition to sit on each other porches and have the longest of talks, where you talked about anything and everything. They’re your hardest goodbye when you’re going off to college; you won't get to see each other every day or text them and say “Hey come over” because you won’t be just right down the street anymore. They are the first people you want to see when you come back home for the weekend and sometimes you miss them more than you miss your own siblings. As you grow older, you realize that they have become your best friends. They knew you your whole life; they were there for you when your school friends weren't being so nice, and when there’s a tragedy in the family, they comfort you in a way no one else could.
Growing up, my neighbors and I didn't have the technology we do today, so we made our own fun. We spent most of our days outside, running around and playing games. The neighborhood was our playground, and a place where so many memories were made. The town that I live in and the neighbors I have grown up with is an experience that is one of a kind, something most people do not have the privilege to share. Some people only share a fence and wave their hand to say hello to the people next door. As you head out into the real world, you become so much more thankful for those kids you grew up with and how they shaped you into the person you are today. The town I’ve grown up in is one I cherish, because my neighbors and I have not only shared countless memories together, but we have shared our lives together.
This article is dedicated to Nicole, Jeff, Emily, Tessa, and Cat. Thank you for making my childhood greater than I could have ever hoped, and still being there for me today. Forever 5th.
