After months away from the block chain, I woke up on Monday with an objective in mind: "contribute again", and where better to do that than the platform that has always felt like home to me. I logged in, scrolled to this wonderful community ready to give my heart out the first week's contest but after going the topic for over 20 minutes, I could not think of a single idea how to approach what was staring at me from my phone screen so I decided to take a break, allow the whole thing sink in and maybe just maybe something will pop up.
Monday passed, I still had nothing to write about, it was as if I was experiencing writers block for this particular topic. Realizing that nothing was working, I decided to just go for an evening stroll and surprisingly, that did the trick. There was something I really wish I could bring back - The old Nigerian Neighborhood lifestyle, that simple way of life where everybody on the same street acts like one big family.
Walking down an almost child-empty street on a Tuesday evening just me appreciate my childhood even more. There was a time when the whole neighborhood belonged to the kids especially during the evenings. They played football together, hide and seek behind people's fences and they games only ended when mothers called their kids back home because it was getting dark outside. Sometimes children even stayed out to play late night games and personally I still can't count how many times I played outside only to find myself on the bed the following morning with no recollection of how I got there. Back then nobody made plans to play, you just simply step outside the house and gbam your friends are already waiting.
Kids these days don't even get to enjoy all these any more. They spend the whole day indoors scrolling through the internet, having access to information around the world and yet still don't even know what's going on with their nextdoor neighbor.
I still remember a time when your neighbor was not just someone who lived in the same area as you. Back then neighbors were like family, they know who you are, what you do for a living, can visit unannounced and have almost the same responsibility of nurturing and look out for your kids just as much as you do. When a neighbor cooks a delicious meal (especially during festive periods) best believe that there's definitely going to a plate or two reserved for the family next day. There were nights were different families watched movies/football matches together, interacted effortlessly and created bonds that lasted for generations and at some point it became difficult to identify the nature of this beautiful relationship.
As a boy whenever my mother travelled, the neighbors around made it their job to watch over my siblings and I until she returns back home.
I will love to bring back this beautiful neighborhood, not because I think it is perfect but because it just shows how much mankind was never designed to exist in solitude of one another. I know I cannot turn back the hands of time and as society evolves, so do the people but at the very least we can try to revive the very spirit that made the neighborhood what it was back then....
Thank you
Please note that all images are mine...
