A couple of weeks ago, a piece of paper arrived on our doorknob, inviting us to a block party last weekend. It sounded fun — they had arranged for a bounce house and a visit with the fire truck. On the other hand, I had never been to a block party for our neighborhood — there hasn’t been one in a coon’s age, apparently — or met any of these people, although we’ve lived here for three and a half years. I was nervous.

Still, we needed to meet our neighbors, especially since the burglary and all. We got our hamburgers and cupcakes to share ready, and looked up the hill, to where the party was said to be occurring, around a bend in the road and behind a barricade set up by the city. We couldn’t see what or who was up there, or even if the party the flyer had announced was happening. What if we showed up and there was no one there?

I was too scared to go. I didn’t want to walk in like I knew what I was doing, when I didn’t. How could I gather more information before showing up? I looked at the kids. “Go ride bikes up there and scout out the scene.”

Perhaps they understood my feelings, because they hesitated, but then they rode up the hill. When they came back, they approved. “There’s one of these jump things, a bunch of tables, a tent-like thing, and some barbecues,” they reported.

It sounded promising. We walked up, reassured by the reconnaissance I’d ordered. And sure enough, our neighbors turned out to be good folks. Of all ages, the adults were wearing nametags with their address on them. And you know what — they were fun! We liked them. We ate our dinner, were never left standing off to the side with no one to talk to, and by the end of the evening, we felt like we’d gained some friends. Our local policeman stopped by and said no one on his beat had done the block party in 5 years … that’s too long. As the twilight came on and people began rolling up their blankets and carrying away their chairs, I felt real gratitude to those who’d put it on, and to the fact that I hadn’t chickened out, as I’d felt like doing.

Fortune favors the brave.