Never Underestimate Small Changes

Quick post.

Since mid-January we've had a friend living with us. She recently moved back to Memphis and needed a home base while she got a job here in town and found her own place. We had an empty room so it seemed like a good fit, and from our perspective, it's gone well.

This weekend she moved out. She landed the job she wanted and found an apartment in mid-town Memphis, much cooler, I'm sure, than our house full of kids.

One thing I've lamented over the summer is the lack of traffic from neighborhood kids. We usually have lots of kids coming in and out here at the house, but honestly, it's been rather slow. I attributed the change to the heat, and I'm sure that had something to do with it (it's currently over 100 in Memphis, and I know MY kids would rather stay inside and play video games than go outside).

But it turns out that one of the major factors keeping kids away was our boarder. When she moved in she brought with her two dogs: a husky-mix and a boxer. Both are wonderfully gentle female lap-dogs. They wouldn't hurt a flea, and truthfully are more scared of outsiders than you would expect. Compared to our Jack-Russell terriers, however, they're big dogs.

Big enough to scare off neighborhood kids.

This morning I have 2 kids wandering the house, thrilled to be back inside. They're high-fiving me and exploring the recent changes we've made to the boys' rooms. They've been scared of coming in the house because of the imposing presence of our friend's two dogs. Now that they're gone, these kids feel safe to come back.

Never underestimate the power even the smallest of changes can have on your ability to reach people. In trying to do good for our friend, we were oblivious to how it would impact others we cared about. We ignored the social and ethinic differences between us and our neighbors that would alienate us from them. Given the opportunity, would I say "no" to my friend and tell her to find another place? Absolutely not. But I would take the time to find out how it would affect the kids in my neighborhood. Maybe invite them to come check out the dogs for themselves to ease their concerns.

Just another example of how we can underestimate the differences between people and cultures.