Mahana Stories

When I grew up we knew all our
neighbours - that was just how life
was. Today, particularly in bigger
cities, people have no idea who lives
next door to them. People are so
busy.
We got really lucky with our
neighbours - they’re a lovely couple.
We have a lot in common and we
just clicked from day one. It has to
happen naturally - you can’t force it.
We have other neighbours we’ve
known for years but I guess we just
socialise differently.
We’re kind of like their parents really,
so grandparents to their little boys as
we don’t have any grandchildren of
our own. We actually had a similar
relationship when our kids were small
but then we were the younger ones.
COVID forced people to
talk to their neighbours -
just because they
desperately wanted to talk
to somebody!
Lots of people were checking on their
neighbours, helping them with
shopping, that sort of thing.
Peter &
Susan
I liked seeing all the families -
people you’d never normally see
walking. People were sitting at their
letterbox with 2m distance drinking
their glass of wine and talking. They
still do it today.
People are busy, life’s pace is
frantic. When we locked down lots
of people liked the fact that that
franticness was taken away but we
get on that merry-go-round again
so quickly.
Sometimes the small things really
matter. I just want people to be kind
and mindful and put themselves in
each others’ shoes.