It's nice to be nice to the nice!

The path to the local park,
under a heap of fresh fallen snow.

Frank Burns once said, "It's nice to be nice to the nice!" It was a classic Frank Burns moment on my favorite TV show, M*A*S*H.

Sometimes, that quote comes to mind at a time and place that is completely out of context. Like today. As I slogged down my street through 19" of fresh fallen snow, I watched and admired scores of neighbors shoveling sidewalks and driveways. Helping one another. Smiling. Laughing. Being neighborly.

ah, It's nice to be nice to the nice!

In the mid-1990's, Robert Putnam published fascinating research on America's declining civic engagement. He titled the piece, Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital. It was an in-depth study of bowling league memberships and other yardsticks of social interaction. In short, he found that adults weren't participating in society as much as previous generations. I remember hearing him speak on NPR radio; I remember thinking, "Sad but true.... Today, we drive straight home from work. We prepare a quick dinner. We watch TV. And that's about it."

Fast-forward fifteen years. I see my neighbors more these days. Do you? They're walking outside, and they're on Facebook, too. Thank goodness for neighborly neighbors, smiling under heavy hats, waving wet gloves. Here on Dawson Drive, we are blessed.