Ode to a Neighbour.

When times are tough and life seems grey,

What do we do?

We turn to the ones closest to us.

Our wonderful neighbours.

When life seems to challenge us

And it just goes on and on,

What do we do?

We turn to our neighbours.

Our neighbours are those who look out for us,

Who make sure that our lives run a little more smoothly,

And our property is safe.

They make sure that when we are away

That our land is safe and our animals protected.

They look out for us.

They care for us.

Without them we would struggle on alone.

We would be alone,

With no-one who cared whether we came or went.

Whether our lives were a struggle or not.

We would spend our days thinking about how wonderful it would be

To have neighbours who cared about whether we were safe or not.

To be alone is not ideal.

We need the comfort and security of others around us.

We need to know that we are not alone in this world.

That our lives matter

And that what we do makes a difference.

So how do we ensure that our lives are well met?

We connect, we share, we live, we love.

We divine what is right for us and what is right for the whole

For we are not alone in this world.

We share our homes with myriad life-forms,

Our neighbours in nature.

The trees, the worms

The plants, the animals, the fish in the seas,

If we are lucky enough to live by it!

So for now I will care for my neighbours and love where I am,

For this is my neighbourhood,

My territory,

My domain.

For I am part of nature and nature is part of me.

And I will never forget this,

for as much as I love my aloneness

We all need each other…sometimes.