By Christine Price
Columnist
Amidst all the stress, anxiety, craziness and bad news, my goal is to spotlight and share the good news in our community.
There was a time when the sound of the doorbell brought excitement.
Today, when it rings unexpectedly, most of us look at each other and ask, “Were you expecting someone?”
While my broken foot is still in a cast, elevated and slowly healing, my sister wanted to stop by for a visit.
Like most people do these days, she sent me a text asking if noon would be a good time. I told her that would be perfect.
A little while later, my phone chimed again. She wanted to let me know she was running ahead of schedule and would be arriving about 10 minutes early.
It made me smile because, as thoughtful as she was being, it reminded me how much times have changed.
When I was growing up, nobody texted. Nobody called ahead.
In fact, people often didn’t even think about asking permission to stop by. If they happened to be in the neighborhood or were out for a Sunday drive, they’d simply pull into the driveway, ring the doorbell and say, “We were in the area and thought we’d stop in.”
And you know what? We loved it.
My mother always had a pot of coffee brewing; a plate of cookies tucked away somewhere in the kitchen where we kids couldn’t find them and time for a visit.
Our door was always open, but Sundays were the best. There was always enough pasta and sauce to feed an army.
My parents never seemed bothered by an unexpected knock at the door. They’d simply pull out another chair, pour a little water into the sauce and before long everyone was laughing, telling stories and catching up on the latest news.
It wasn’t until years later that I realized those unplanned visits weren’t interruptions. They were simply part of life.
One of my favorite comedians is Sebastian Maniscalco. He’s a master at finding humor in everyday life and one of his funniest routines is about the doorbell.
He talks about how, when he grew up, his family welcomed anyone who stopped by.
Today, he says, if the doorbell rings unexpectedly, the whole family freezes. They turn off the lights, duck below the windows and army crawl across the floor pretending no one is home.
As exaggerated as it is, there’s a lot of truth in it.
Today, we live by our calendars and notifications. We text before we call. We call before we visit. Then we text again if we’re going to be 10 minutes early… or 10 minutes late.
When my doorbell rings unexpectedly, my first reaction is usually to ask my husband, “Are you expecting someone?”
Instead of wondering who it might be, my mind immediately starts racing. Is the house picked up? Do I have anything to serve? Is the bathroom clean?
My mother-in-law used to tell me about something they called a “come as you are” party.
Imagine that today!
She would walk through the neighborhood, knock on a few friends’ doors and announce, “We’re having a party. Come as you are!”
No one went home to change clothes. No one worried about fixing their hair or putting on makeup. They simply showed up exactly as they were and somehow everyone had a wonderful time.
Maybe we’ve simply forgotten that some of life’s sweetest moments happen when they aren’t planned at all.
There’s something special about an unexpected visit, a fresh pot of coffee and a conversation that wasn’t penciled in the calendar.
Maybe one of these days I’ll stop texting first, ring a friend’s doorbell and take a chance that they’ll have a few minutes to spare.
And maybe, if I’m lucky, they’ll have a big pot of sauce simmering on the stove.
When you see good news, and you will, please send it to cpriceconcord@aol.com. Include your name, phone number, city of residence and email address.
