Simply Fearless Friday: make the world a friendlier place

»Today is Simply Fearless Friday!  Publish your Simply Fearless story on your blog, leave a direct link in a comment below, and I’ll pop on over and leave you some comment love.  Let’s face our fears and grow our courage together!«

I had 45 minutes until my next appointment and I was feeling uninspired at the computer so I decided to go for a photo walk.  I grabbed my camera and got in the care.  Where should I go?  I don’t know, but not far because I only have 30 minutes.

Why don’t I just cross the tracks and walk through that neighborhood of houses?

I could.  But, people might think I’m weird for taking photos of their front yards.  I like to go to more public places like downtown.

Wait a minute.  Am I really going to let fear stop me?

No.

Well maybe.

Okay.  If traffic is clear, then I will turn left at the next street, pull over, park in the nearest side yard, and go on my photo walk in this neighborhood.

Traffic is clear.  Darn!  Okay here I go…

I parked on a very familiar corner.  I used to jog in this neighborhood and there are some gorgeous orange flowers across the street with tiger stripes.  What a perfect place to start:

I kept walking and could see these huge purpley-blue flowers coming up on the left.  Oh no!  The owner of the house they belong to is outside talking to a neighbor.  Drats.  Oh I don’t care.  He used to say hi to me every time he saw me jogging by and these flowers are too gorgeous to pass up.

I began taking photos regardless of any potential criticism and then the neighbors were done talking.  Crap.

“They’re gorgeous, aren’t they?” he asked while walking over.

I looked up from my camera, “Yes, they are.  I have no idea how to care for flowers, but I do love to photo them!”

“They’ve never grown this big and strong before.  We used to just have a few little ones each season, but then she was in the hospital and I took over.  I water them every other day and they’re doing so well.”

I could tell this man poured more than water on these flowers.  He poured his heart into them causing them to blossom and I wondered if she was still in the hospital.

“Hey, if you like to photo flowers, then you’ve gotta see this one in the backyard.”  He turned and began walking towards the open gate.

“Okay!”  I didn’t even think twice about going into the backyard of a stranger.  I simply knew it was safe and I was excited to see the flower.  It must be gorgeous if he thinks it’s prettier than the ones out front.

We chatted while I snapped photos and I found out that she transitioned in March.  No wonder this man is loving on his flowers so much.

His wife of 38 years (that’s older than me!) was no longer with him physically.  I can’t even imagine how to start over after that.  But, I do know that neighbors who take photos, who stop and talk, who aren’t afraid to care can help tremendously in the healing process.

I’m so glad that I didn’t allow fear to stop me and that I courageously connected with a new friend.  Ralph asked me to print out one of the photos of the big red flower for him and I wonder if it was from her memorial service.

You know, this experience felt like a blast from the past when people who didn’t know each other weren’t afraid to talk to each other.  People trusted one another simply because they were neighbors.  That is the world I live in.  That is the world I am helping to create because community is one of the keys to happiness.

Everyone benefits when you share:
What is one simple thing you can do to make your neighborhood more friendly?

---

Related posts:

1. Wanted: guest bloggers for Simply Fearless Friday Hey there ~ Coach Cassandra Rae here and damn!  My life has taken me through...
2. Face a Fear Friday! Back in September I made a commitment to face one fear every day for 100...
3. What happens in a Simply Fearless coaching session? Are you waiting for more clients to show up? Maybe you have all the...
4. Are you ready to live Your Simply Fearless Life? We are so excited to announce our inaugural group coaching program! If you are ready...