I try to take my dogs for daily walks. I used to be in a time crunch at lunchtime, so I got into a routine of doing the same route every time. Having not grown up with dogs, I was worried that this might get boring to them, but as it turns out, they're just excited to be outside and with their people.
I also didn't grow up in a neighborhood, so the experience is still new to me in a lot of ways. I found that by walking the same route every day, I ran into the same people. My favorite of the people are the Golden Girls. Usually I call them "the old ladies," and I told my husband that they do not know I call them this. I suspect they'd be fine with it, though, since they know they're roughly 80, give or take a couple of years.
It wasn't hard to get to know them. They're super personable. I suspect Pat would make a great mayor if she wanted to do it. She has everybody's vote over on her little block, and I'd canvas for her, but that's not the point. I started to get to know them by walking Juniper. Then when I needed signatures for running for the Board of Ed, Pat walked around with me and knocked on doors and said "sign this for her." It was a delight.
Now I have 2 dogs, and I love to walk the route in the evening because they're always sitting on Pat's patio just shooting the shit. Am I allowed to swear in blogs? Well, I just did because that's the best phrase I know for what they're doing. On any given night, there is anywhere from 2 to 5 of them. It's always Pat and Mary, and then the others filter in when they're free. Sandy and Kathy are pretty standard, and they were out tonight. Sometimes Cindy will join, but if she has her dogs, she usually keeps it moving. Tonight, there was also Arline. I'm not sure I'm spelling her name right, but this is only the second time I've met her, so I'll check later.
I get the hot goss in the neighborhood, and I share with them what I know. It is never anything harmful - it's usually a "did you see what they did to their house?" and "I heard she voted for..." Right now, they are very concerned with my job search. They don't know how much money I made, but it wasn't a secret that I outearned my husband, so they wanted to know where I had applied to, if I'd heard anything back, and what the job fairs were like. They know the job market isn't great - they watch the news - but they also have "anecdata" like their own children being unemployed or other neighbors worried about their jobs.
More than anything, my friendship with them always makes me think about intergenerational friendships. They are all on the cusp of the Silent Gen and Baby Boomers, and I'm solidly a Millennial. I am the age of their grandchildren. I don't have anything wise on the subject, and I don't have research to back up why this seems positive, but I really enjoy it. They are wise, caring, and hilarious. Tonight, I brought them tomatoes from my garden, and they were all thrilled. 2 of them were going to go home and make tomato sandwiches right away.
I think I'm just grateful to have this nice little community. I have friends my own age that I have brunch, grab drinks, or walk with. I'm still thinking about weddings for friends, and sometimes divorce parties. I have friends that I compare workouts to and talk about what it means to be a woman in her 30s in 2025. But these women are wise. They worked in the 60s. They saw the assassination of MLK Jr and JFK. They have raised children and grandchildren and still babysit when they need to. Most of all, they have all lost their husbands. I wouldn't say this is a positive, but I think it brings them together. I like watching them because it shows me that life doesn't end after menopause or retirement or even after loss. There is still a lot of good coming.
If nothing else, at least I know they'll take my tomatoes when I've grown too many.
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