What makes you happy?
According to some recent statistics that I have heard, your answer to that question may not be completely up to you. Fifty percent of your answer is genetically predispositioned, 40 percent is what you make of it, and only 10 percent is your status in life, such as money, cars, clothes, etc.
The show in which I heard the statistics stated that the number one major factor in determining happiness was a sense of community. Man is a social animal, after all.
Some of the unhappiest people throughout the world had the most materialistic wealth and best living conditions, while some of the happiest didn’t register high on the scale of worldly materialism but had a strong-knit community.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that even though we are in a wireless age, we still need each other. Living in a close-knit community is very important for our sense of well-being and the idea that you belong somewhere. The Hilltop had that sense of community imbued in it from the very beginning.
Hilltoppers are a feisty bunch and like to work together to better their homes and areas; we do not let the disease of apathy win!
As spring rolls in and some sunshine perks up our gray skies, do what people do after a long winter – get out and talk to your neighbors! Who knows what has happened over the winter? It is like getting to know one another all over again.
We have had a relatively quiet winter, but here are some updates. Tire dumping is occurring again, this time in an alley between Binns and Roys Avenues. This is illegal activity so please report any tires in your alley to your blockwatch and to the police.
Remember that the warmer weather brings more “crime of opportunity,” This means that it is important to keep doors locked and everything put away in the garage or home. Keep your shades pulled at night so that criminals can’t see into your home and case it that way.
Please call 645.4545 for any suspicious activity. As you recall from the last edition of the “Blockwatch Beat,” neighbors helped the police catch a crook red-handed by being politely nosy.
Please also keep our neighborhood looking nice by not parking on curbs and not parking in yards. That is against code and police can tag your car for towing.
A blockwatch is more than chasing criminals (although many of us have done so). It is also about helping others and knowing what is going on in your neck of the woods. We have something going on here that many other newer neighborhoods don’t have and that is the willingness of people to work together to do what it takes to keep this a wonderful place to live. We have an established sense of community and in this disconnected era, that is a beautiful thing.
On a different note, don’t forget your park and the rest of the Hilltop when thinking spring beautification! Friends of Westgate Park will be posting cleanup and planting dates and Friends of the Hilltop already have set dates for Broad Street, Sullivant Avenue, and other cleanups in the area.
Want to make a world of difference in the community? Join Friends of Westgate Park and work on making our park the jewel in the crown of the Westside. Go to a Friends of the Hilltop meeting, a Greater Hilltop Area Commission meeting, join the Kiwanis, whatever flips your skirt, but do something and be informed.
Knowledge is power! Don’t be discouraged. Remember, it is all in how you look at it.
Cant get out to plant or to meetings? Not a problem! Everyone welcomes moral support, encouragment, or if all else fails, cookies!
Until next month, “Crime is negative, community action, positive.”
Lisa Grazier is coordinator of the Camp Chase Blockwatch.
