Partners and Friends

Two of my downstairs neighbors came up to my place for a glass of wine on Friday night. I've known them for nearly seven years now. Together we've gone through the hassle of dealing with exploding water heaters, roof leaks, disintegrating back stairs and many of the other vicissitudes that come with being first time homeowners maintaining a 100 year old building. We've shared the trials of the dotcom boom and bust, suffered the shock of 911 and watched each other go from being single to getting partnered up. We've cheered each other on through job interviews, shared conspiratorial house gossip, watched each other's pets during our vacations. Now we are heading for 50 and sharing ideas about where we might like to spend our retirement. (It's probably not going to be San Francisco.) This is one of the priceless things that can come with being part of a TIC - knowing, and liking, and even over time coming to love - your neighbors.