Have you heard this saying before? It's an old saying - it's been around alot longer than the days of privacy fences that fully hide your backyard. Back in the "old days", a good fence was probably made of stones stacked on top of each other and was maybe 4 feet tall. Short enough so that you could talk to your neighbor, but tall enough that your neighbor wasn't likely to climb over unless there was a really important reason.
Well, coming from Los Angeles, I know a thing or two about fences. In my last neighborhood there, every single back yard was completely enclosed by a full privacy fence at least 8 feet tall so that not only could you not talk to your neighbor, you couldn't even see their backyard. Might be "naked animals in there"(another movie quote) for all you knew.
So when we moved into our new house here in Champaign, it was kind of a shock to the system to walk out onto the back porch and see nothing but grass between us and the house behind us and the houses on either side of us. At first I couldn't wait to build a fence. But after a few weeks, I realized something:
No fences make better neighbors.
I guess I mean neighbors in a "love your neighbor" / Jesus kind of way. Since there is no fence there, all the kids in the 'hood come walking through the back yard to play with my kids. The basketball court in our backyard becomes the neighborhood gathering spot, chalk art display, jump rope stage, race track, multi purpose play place. And I actually have conversations with my neighbors as we cut our grass, chase dogs, play with kids, etc. We're getting to know each other, and care about each other. We've learned about jobs, families, issues with kids. We're starting to share life together.
And it's all in large part because there's nothing between us but grass.
I'm glad we don't have a fence and I'm glad we know our neighbors.
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