An essay from Alan Colley, one of Host2Host's founding members, former H2H President, and co-host of Summit Prairie in Tiller, OR

I have been reminded again and again of what it means to be a neighbor. So often when we begin to host we come to realize that we have neighbors who quite naturally will be impacted by our decision. How do we navigate being a good neighbor as we begin this journey?

That’s What Neighbors Do

When the new lookout tower on our land in Southern Oregon had just been finished, Dabney and I invited anyone who had helped build it to come up for a celebratory potluck picnic. Several folks came up we hadn’t met, but who we learned were neighbors from down the road.

Sometime during our visit our neighbor, Vern Edgeley, told us this: “I don’t care what your beliefs, your politics, or your orientation. If you need us for anything, just call and I will come. That’s what neighbors do.” What a gesture from someone we did not know!

Returning the Favor

Neighbors. Neighbors with whom we may not always see eye-to-eye, but who come running to help when we need them. How can we return that favor?

Why is it important to remember this just now? I think that with the social upheavals constantly pressing on us, our normal routines of seeing each other, sharing meals and gossip, seems to create more than social distance. It’s easy to see only the extremes and to find ourselves tainting our aloneness with a hint of disdain. I’m guilty, too.

But we are all neighbors. Neighbors help each other. Some of our neighbors are struggling. Some are trying to help. New neighbors may need our care even more.

Collaborators Not Competitors
We, as hosts, have already learned that we are a community of collaborators, not competitors. We have demonstrated time and again how sharing our experiences lifts us all. We also live in communities filled with neighbors. 

I hope you and I will choose to set aside our differences and reach across our boundaries to support each other even more these days. 

We are a small community of neighbors after all.

Join Alan, on June 12th for an insightful conversation that hopes to go beyond the surface to explore the Soul of Hosting. Register now!