My neighbor Rodney lives just up the hill and across the street. I count him as a close and trusted friend. Rodney is short and stout, usually seen in sunglasses, with a ball cap covering the bald top of his head. He talks with a signature twang like the character Ernest, whom you might remember saving Christmas if you’re old enough to have seen those movies.
By contrast I’m much taller, probably 20 years younger than Rodney, and with dreadlocks that now hang to the center of my back. I’ve also never saved Christmas, but hey, the sky’s the limit!
Rodney and I never moved in the same social circles. He used to drive forklifts in a warehouse, and I’m a former corrections Sergeant who changed over to being a corporate safety instructor for the library system.
Me and Rodney really just chose to say hi one day while we were out and about in the neighborhood. Then we chose to be consistent about our hellos, because if you want something to grow you don’t just water it once, right?
Our greetings eventually turned into asking about each other’s health, meeting each other’s families, and regularly trading garden goods. On top of vegetables, Rodney still offers homemade salsa. And I’ll return the empty jars filled with candy for Rodney and his wife Dianne, when there isn’t any fruit on our trees, shrubs or vines to offer in return.
I’ve gotten used to texting Rodney about our family’s latest hikes or happenings, and then reading his replies which are always signed off with “love and prayers!” By now, Rodney and I have known one another through some major milestones like Rodney’s retirement, the passing of a few family members, and my kiddo’s graduation from elementary school.
I deeply value a world where former strangers can build community with one another and celebrate universal kinship. Wanting to live in and to create that kind of world, was one of the things that first drew me to Odd Fellowship.
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This is such a beautiful sentiment and a perfect example of bringing Odd Fellowship into the wider world.
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