Hi-dily-ho, Neighborino

Everywhere I go I see familiar people. Whether it's walking through the cafeteria on campus, driving on the freeway, going to the mall... I see people I know all over the place. It makes me really happy. And it's not because I necessarily like these people I see, I just love the fact that I belong to a community.

I love that when I'm at the Orem library Georgiana checks my books out. When I stop at Gondolfos for lunch, Peter (my old childhood friend) chit chats with me across the counter. And at the mall I notice Officer Taylor (the dare officer) having lunch with some buddies. I love that Gabe works at Dear Lizzies, and McKay's friend Sara works at KK, and that I have been to a dinner party with the girl at Family Video. I love that I run into Stef Goodsell on the running trail, and that people honk at me in my bug and wave. I love that on my well driven route to school and work I see people from the ward headed to school and work, or Goldie Holmested turning onto state street. It's funny to me knowing the people around me.

Some of my favorite clips from the show, the Simpsons, is when the whole town/community has gathered together for some reason or another. It's always the same people... Moe, Otto, the bumble bee guy, the captain, Barney (the town drunk), Patty and Selma, Officer Wiggum, that grounds keeper Willie guy... they are all there, and they all know each other. I guess sometimes I wish that is how it was in real life.

Which is probably why I like Kohlers so much. I love seeing people there. I love that I'm familiar with Highland/Alpine enough that I know where most people live that have lived here just as long as I have. I used to love when people paid with checks and I saw their address and family name... and I realized that I know their children or their neighbors. That is fun to me.

I also really enjoy people who serve their community. I need to be a better human in that area of my life. I also need to recycle more.