Neighborhood Mysteries

I am naturally a very deep thinker and sometimes my mind comes up with things that many people may never think of or may find weird. I make a lot of observations and one came to me today as I was taking a stroll around the neighborhood.

As some of you may know, I adore taking walks and some of my biggest motivators are the ideas and experiences that occur while I am out for a stroll. I just happened to take a walk around the entire neighborhood in our section of homes. Some thoughts came to me as I ventured around on this summer day.

I saw one neighbor painting his house, another was doing yard work. An older gentleman was sitting outside enjoying the sun and fresh air on his patio. Not too far in front of me were two teen girls having a conversation while walking a dog. Another neighbor got into his car and drove away. Many people surrounded me.

A lot of what meets the eye doesn’t go beyond the surface level. We see beautiful homes, a quiet neighborhood, we see friendly neighbors, and green yards. What we don’t see is what is below the surface.

Each one of these individuals that we encounter has a life that they are living. They have struggles, dreams, and desires, and they have so much going on in their lives that we know nothing about.

When we take a step outside, typically we are greeted with a smile and everyone appears happy, but this is on the surface, this is what we see, not necessarily what truly is. What happens behind these closed doors? We don’t know what people are facing in life, we only see the outside and what they are willing to share with us.

The surface is just that. It is the very basic and simple appearance of something or someone that oftentimes ends up being nothing as it seems. Life is happening all around us.

I can picture people in their homes making dinner, watching TV, taking care of children, working, and having important conversations with their loved ones. I can picture the busyness that takes place, but all that I can see from the outside are beautiful homes and a quiet, peaceful environment.

I enjoy leaving you a takeaway piece at the end of my stories, something for you to ponder, something for you to wonder about, something that may help you in some way. As you go about your day today, may this be a reminder that there is so much more than meets the eye!