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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/01/sharp-and-curious-my-85-year-old-neighbour-wades-into-conversations-with-a-joyful-openness>
"My friendships have mostly been with people of a similar age, but that all
changed when my 85-year-old neighbour left a CD in my letterbox after hearing
my young son drumming wildly in our garage. She wrapped the CD in a note
written in her finest hand, explaining that she thought he might enjoy the
sounds of her friend’s band, The Necks.
Others in our street had understandably complained about the endless noise
because the sound reverberated through their walls, creeping into their quiet
spaces, and ruining their days.
But my neighbour did not. She delighted in it, sometimes standing outside our
garage door and listening to him bash away at a song like it was her private
concert. She walked the streets most days with her rescued greyhound who
tottered along in fine leather booties to protect the pads under his feet.
Back then, we were living at opposite ends of the same street. Her in an
apartment in a converted underwear factory and me in a rented townhouse. When
the townhouse sold, my kids and I moved by chance into an apartment three doors
down in the same factory and now, instead of sharing a street, we share a
hallway. She was the first person I befriended in the building.
She’s not from here. She’s a blow-in from the United States via a number of
countries along the way. She has lived everywhere, from Thailand to Ghana,
Japan to the New South Wales South Coast, gathering friends with each new
address. An artist, she has exhibited in galleries across the world, and the
many students she has taught are now friends. Sharp and curious, mischievous
and thoughtful, she wades into conversations with a joyful openness.
We chatter in scraps of conversation as we enter and exit our building at
similar times. Sometimes our chats find us meeting up in cafes or outside each
other’s doors, often lingering until we finish a thought. Recently we have
begun sending wordy text messages back and forth, like a conversation that is
always gathering speed."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
