Neighborhoods and communities

As I finished my run one morning earlier this week, I enjoyed the final stretch. I wondered how the old man who always cheers for me is doing, as I haven't been running at a time that I see him lately. And how he always says "You're gonna make it this time!". And the couple that walks their dogs and has blinky red lights on the dogs, keeping them safe as well. And just the buildings -- some of which I almost never notice, and some of which I know so well. And I felt a certain peace and comfort in being a part of this community.

Which reminded me of the thoughts in my head as I woke up the other day for some reason thinking about the words neighborhood and community. And how while they are similar in being groups of people somehow tied together, the difference in a neighborhood is your spatial relativity. Sure, there are local communities as well. But a local neighborhood would be redundant. A running community can span cities or even countries. Motorcyclist have a community and always do that little wave as they pass each other.

Sure, members of any community have a common ground. But the tie I was feeling and enjoying is more than just that of a community -- it is that of a neighborhood. This place that I live, and call home, and how it fits in my life.

So I corrected myself: I really like being a part of this neighborhood -- still a community, but also a bit more.