I'm One Of The Joneses!

There's this cliche in our language--"Keeping up with the Joneses"--maybe you've heard it? Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's official: I one of the Joneses now. Not in the literal translation, mind you. I haven't spent oodles of money to have the same SUV, flat-panel TV, and brick-lined driveway as my fellow inhabitants on our street, but I am now officially a member of a neighborhood with neighborhood parties and watch groups to boot.Yesterday I attended my first ever neighborhood party. Oh, there were a few blue-haired ladies in attendance but the group consisted more of people who are the AARP membership eligibility list than those who qualify. Out of the 40 or so houses that could've attended about half stopped by my next-door neighbor's house where the festive occasion was held. Not bad. There are, though, some lessons to learn and to any of you are new to being one of the Joneses, I offer my advice based on this recent experience:

Wardrobe
Of course as luck usually has it, I was forced to attend alone sans Nelson due to the wonderfully unaccommodating work schedule he has. As I sprung from the couch around 4:30 to go and get ready I was perplexed as to what to wear. Why, I'd never been to one of these functions! I mean, when you grow up on a street of 5 people in a tiny Appalachian town there aren't exactly an abundance of neighborhood pool parties, barbecues, and Crime Watch meetings, from what experience can you learn? Plus, in the twelve years since I've been out of college I was confined to garden-style apartments, which, even with their intended "more friendly" layout, were never as warm, inviting, and charming as our own current abode has been. So what was the understood dress code that I needed to abide by without ending up on the Worst Dressed Neighbor Watch List? Should I go completely casual, in shorts, t-shirt and sneakers?Stylishly casual in a comfortable, yet respectably chic ensemble such as sandals/flats, capris/skirt, and knit top? Sunday dress? (Which, I think, had I been forced to wear, I might have skipped the festive occasion altogether.)My gut told me to pursue Option 2, the stylish casual ensemble which worked out nicely.

To Dish Or Not To Dish?
Remember to ask your host when RSVP'ing if you need to bring something. I forgot. So I showed up sans dish in hand, while the few blue-haired ladies brought their tried and true covered dish recipes in the standard Corning Ware or Pyrex dishes and a few Gen X-er's brought brownies and cookies. Oops.

Sports: It's A Good Thing!
Thank goodness for sports. As I sat alone, munching on my dill pickle and Ruffles a fellow neighbor sat down next to me. Even though he and his spouse were fellow Gen X-er's, I had no idea about what to talk. What do you talk about at these social occasions? Fortunately he was wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey (He took the tres casual approach in wardrobe attire.) and that gave us a launching pad from which we discussed baseball, football, cycling, dogs, work, new home ownership, etc. Yeah, thank goodness I follow sports and know that ESPN has nothing to do with telepathy.

Dogs Are The Best Conversation Salvation!
I heard several folks saying to each other, "Oh, I don't know your name but don't you walk your dog in the mornings?" Or, to me they asked, "Oh, are you the new neighbor with the Jack Russell?" Yeah, my Jack Russell, Curious Jorge, usually makes a name for himself before Nelson and I do, thanks to his adorable face, his alertness to all things feathered and furry, and his loud bark. I realized that the more I listened in on conversations that the neighborhood is loaded with fellow canine owners and walking Jorge around the 'hood will not only burn calories, but help us get established!

In the end, I came home satisfied that I had attended and amazed that in a mere 64 minutes I met more of my neighbors than in the 12 years of apartment living combined. When one has a mailbox and yard it's amazing what a difference it makes. One goes from being an outsider to a member of a community. And although my name is Ricardo I can officially now say that I am one of the Joneses. That's kind of a cool feeling, actually....