Well, Look What Happened on Nextdoor!

Are you familiar with Nextdoor?

It’s an app that is supposed to bring neighbors together. A place to share information, ask questions, find a lost dog, recommend a plumber, and generally connect with the people who live around you.

But if you’ve ever spent much time on Nextdoor, you probably know it can also be a giant troll-fest.

People arguing. Complaining. Correcting each other. Getting mad about parking, dogs, politics, trees, garbage cans, loud music, quiet music…you name it.

I haven’t been on Nextdoor for months.

Then my daughter-in-law brought a post to my attention.

A woman had stopped at the ARCO gas station on the corner of Branham and Jarvis, where we painted a big, bright California poppy mural on the cement wall last year.

While she was filling her tank, she noticed something.

On the other side of that big cement wall is a beautiful crepe myrtle tree, and right now it is bursting with color. Some of its branches and blossoms have grown up high enough to peek over the wall above our mural.

She took a picture and posted it on Nextdoor.

She said it looked like the tree was peeking over the wall and saying something like:

“I love what’s going on over here, and I want to be part of it!”

How sweet is that?

It made her happy.

So she shared it.

And then something even better happened.

People were nice.

On NEXTDOOR!

One happy comment led to another. People talked about the mural. They talked about the flowers. They talked about how much they enjoyed seeing the color at that corner.

There was no arguing.

No one seemed compelled to tell anyone they were wrong.

Nobody complained about the tree.

Nobody complained about the mural.

Nobody even complained about the gas station!

It was just a whole little stream of people appreciating something beautiful in their neighborhood.

What a fabulous surprise.

And it got me thinking about how energy moves through a community.

Last year, a group of us put our energy into that wall. We painted giant California poppies because we wanted to bring some color and happiness to an ordinary corner of the neighborhood.

Then Mother Nature apparently decided we needed a little collaboration.

The crepe myrtle grew up and over the wall, adding her own splash of color to the painting.

A woman stopped for gas.

She noticed it.

It made her smile.

She took a picture.

She shared her happiness with her neighbors.

And they shared some happiness back.

That’s how a ripple starts.

It doesn’t always have to be something big.

Paint a wall.

Plant some flowers.

Notice a tree.

Tell someone you like their garden.

Pick up a piece of trash.

Smile at somebody.

Share a picture of something beautiful.

Say something kind.

And when you see something that makes you happy, maybe don’t just keep it to yourself. Point it out.

Because apparently even Nextdoor can be nice when somebody gets the ball rolling.

And if that can happen, I think there’s hope for all of us.

Keep spreading the good juju.

— Karen