Moving Demographic Reflections

Often times a temporary destination, although not ideal, allows for much more.
Even affluent gated communities fail to resemble the Garden of Eden (a place of safety, peace, love).
Love in the hearts of people can be found in some of the poorest, and wealthiest, communities.
Some places that, from outer appearance, look like all has failed (or all is well) have the faithful residing.

I Moved into a new humble abode this week.

The distance from my previous residence is about five and a half miles.

That distance, short in terms when looking at the sprawling metropolis that is Southern California, makes for drastic differences.

It's all about  the demographics:

adjective/

- relating to the structure of populations

noun/

- a particular sector of a population

Me living in apartments has been few and far between.

The first time was in Texas.

As a teenager I lived in an apartment for a few months with my dad while he shopped around for a house to purchase.

Several years later I lived in a semi-apartment (condominium) with my mother upon returning from that Texas sojourn.

After the divorce they sold our family house.

He bought a house and she a condominium... and I resided in both for a time, at different times, and several hundred miles apart.

The past four years I lived in an apartment.

It was humbling moving back into an apartment after growing up in houses, having cars and motorcycles at my fingertips.

This occupation I have beckons me to do so, to take the road less traveled and the path less taken (by choice).

It has all been purposed and for greater returns, but the journey isn't always pleasant or easy to adjust to.

I've learned a great deal about myself, my peeves and my peculiarities.

I've learned even more about humanity that is largely unseen or ignored.

Time, location, and personal interactions grant insightful experiences that statistic reading cannot render.

There is something the same bus bench, street corner, street with strangers becoming acquainted neighbors, and sharing living space, walls, ceilings, floors with with strangers becoming neighbors becoming possible lifelong friends.

Such interactions, for those with open hearts and minds, can bring you closer together to another person.

If both are not open, such interaction likely push you further apart than when previously strangers.

Even the smallest of misunderstandings or noises can set the relation between two human beings on an adverse course.

Through it all exists great learning opportunities... for those seeking such.

Something to add and develop wisdom from is always at-hand.

It is interesting how community can be built and at what distance it can be built.

It is also interesting how a comfortable distance between people is kept, and sadly widened into uncomfortable spaces

Not every person is a Christian, or even trying to be like Christ (or desiring to love, be at peace, and be friendly with others).

Some are 'Christian' (kind) only according to label, but their hearts are far from kindness when any bit of discomfort (humanity) shows..

Not everyone living in very close quarters are automatically amicable with one another, or care to be.

Even in social circles where everyone is economically, politically, ethnically, and religiously the same (wholly homogenous), conflicts and strife still arises.

My flesh doesn't desire to be everyone's friend, or let people get close or make an effort at getting close to others.

However, the Spirit living within me does.

Depending sometimes on the demographics, lots of crime and violence can be found in high density spaces (and these are usually in poorer locales).

There was more measurable crime where I recently moved away from compared to where I moved to.

A more affluent community isn't a guarantee of peace or civility, although the calls to the police may be less frequent or less necessary.

In contrast, just because a particular place is less civil doesn't mean more calls to police occurs.

Depending on a caller's view of police enforcement, or how a neighborhood has been socialized, certain leniencies arise between people sharing common spaces.

It is surprising what people are able to put up with in order to keep a semblance of peace.

For example: on my street, the house where men have very loud pipes on their motorcycles never had the police called on them (by me - nor anyone else).

No matter how early (6 a.m. the most recent time) or how late (11 p.m. very often), the neighborhood simply tolerates such disregard for others.

It is a reflection of many things I suppose: the neighborhood, the many other inconsiderations evidence on that block, and people's level of tolerance of misbehavior or disregard.

Since people have set roots in some fashion, and whether it would be too costly (or economically impossible) to move away, people simply put up with discomforts... I know I have.

In the city I still reside, especially in the more congested parts of town, police place priority on only the most grievous of crimes (assault, weapons, bomb threats, and the like). 

I can safely assume (having first-hand anecdotal experience) that if someone is drinking in public, smoking weed, and cursing up a storm, their behavior is largely ignored or tolerated.

But I'm not sure if such dynamics will be tolerated in my new neighborhood, but I'm sure I'll found out or be corrected.

I was previously living in a room in a two-bedroom apartment in a five-unit building.

More than 75% of the properties on that street are multi-family (duplexes, triplexes, quadriplexes, etc. - neighborhood streets zoned 4+).

Behind some of the single family homes are found second homes or several unit apartments.

That street isn't measurably high density, but it seems that way when trying to find street parking or looking at foot traffic.

In short, very few owner-occupied homes: most properties have been built, over the years, for income (rentals).

Ethnic groups are widely mixed.

Almost a caucasian majority (judging from appearance).

Some mixed ethnic households / families.

Several homosexual households / families.

But most households retain an ethnic or cultural mirroring.

When my wife and I moved into the apartment, we also reflected an ethnic and cultural mirroring with our housemate.

My wife and I sub-leased a single room out of a two-bedroom, one bath, apartment unit.

We were very fortunate to have a very quiet housemate and neighbors in that building.

Regardless of our cultural or ethnic diversity, all of the residents in the building were cordial, kind, and would take time to have a conversation with us.

Most of the neighbors on that street show a similar kindness, some more than others.

We rented a room from a Latino homosexual man with two dogs.

He was one of very few renting out a single room and open to having a married couple move in.

This moving decision was part of my work.

My wife was patient and understanding regarding this work I had to do.

We have a sizable home in another city (currently rented out), but since her work was quite far from that house, we decided to move as close as possible but not spend too much on living expenses.

This journey of ours is purposed, so we move forward even with challenges to our comforts or societal expectations.

That man's apartment was the cleanest and least complicated living situation we found within our purposed budget and nearest my wife's place of work.

Any closer to her office building would have either meant breaching the budget (more expensive secure and newer buildings) or living in substandard conditions (less expensive poor and blighted neighborhoods).

I was at first apprehensive moving in with this man, and even this neighborhood.

I was thinking myself and my wife would likely be uncomfortable.

The man was discrete about his sexuality, yet seemingly conservative about the dynamics at home and his openness about his sexuality.

He asked us when we first met if him being gay would be a problem for us.

We talked about what the conditions in the apartment would be, and he assured us he never has company over, or parties, or anything else short of a relative or two visiting in rare occasions.

This was the dynamic for the majority of the past four years, just as he stated.

Although we don't agree with such a lifestyle, we said we would love him just the same, adding that in our eyes he is our friend and brother (and will be treated as such).

Very early on we had a few discussions about his thoughts about God and about God's message about such a lifestyle.

Although he grew up in a household that recognized the Lord God, he suspects either there isn't a God or that the Bible is inaccurate or somehow unreliable.

The entire time living with him and his two dogs was amicable, yet momentary issues and incidents did arise.

Although we invited him out to dinner with us several times and tried to enlarge our friendship, he declined going beyond the business relationship of landlord and tenants.

Although we encouraged a deeper bond, he discouraged it and encouraged an avoidance of each other's paths.

Not what we preferred or would have liked to foster, but we adjusted to those efforts in consideration of him.

One concern was frequent borrowing of money, which we were easy and open in handing out.

We found it a bit challenging being unable to help in other ways (financial advice).

A grievous concern was when he decided to rent out his room to a gay couple, with him taking residency in the living room with his two dogs.

This was a breach of our initial agreement, to put it mildly.

However, this and other issues (I learned) was best dealt with through patience and kindness and often with as few words as possible from ourselves.

We knew he was having financial difficulties when transitioning from one career path to another, so we didn't push the issue.

We simply went along with the new challenges as best we could, without much grumbling or exacerbating an already intolerable situation.

That situation, thankfully, only lasted a few months.

It was less about the social dynamic (although my conscience was troubled and afflicted), but an obviously logistical one.

Three adults utilizing a single restroom is a challenge in itself, especially when all three have similar work schedules and have a short time frame needing to use the restroom.

The addition of two adults put a major strain in our morning and evening use of the restroom besides the physical stresses of having to wait for others to exit the restroom for obvious and natural reasons.

The neighborhood, called 'Rose Park District', was south of the part of town called 'Cambodia Town'.

I'm going to miss visiting a certain Cambodian restaurant.

They consistently played video images of ancient ruins throughout Cambodia, mostly temples among now overgrown forests.

I enjoy learning about places both near and far.

The food and service was excellent, too.

With higher density there is more merchants (businesses) and consumer options within a reasonable walking distance.

Pizza shop south five houses down at the end of the block.

Laundromat, Mexican restaurant, music store and two convenience stores west two short blocks.

Large supermarket and Chinese food north three short blocks... that Cambodian restaurant another two blocks north.

With the higher density and convenience comes more crime and nonsense... at least it was in this neighborhood.

Lots of graffiti, drug dealing, drug abusing, homelessness (drug abusers and other troubled people), litter, and other things that challenges both your heart and mind when seeing it.

Every so often a police helicopter would fly overheard to look over areas either north or northwest of our apartment.

I noticed how within a very short distance the condition of properties and the demographics can change drastically.

To the north the neighborhood changes from mostly single family homes to almost 100% apartments or multiunit buildings.

Our previous apartment is situated on the cusp of what can be argued as a a decent neighborhood to a better neighborhood southbound, and a worse neighborhood northbound.

Same thing going west (worse) and east (better).

Downtown is west and the beach is south (for reference and understanding).

The closer to the shore the ethnicity was more homogeneous (caucasian).

The further north the ethnic diversity increased, as did density and poorer looking conditions.

Stores, restaurants, and other businesses also reflect the demographic realities.

Smaller and individually owned restaurants and stores in more affluent neighborhoods, large corporate restaurants and stores in less affluent areas.

A cultural imprint reflects a kind of homogeny in either direction, again mirroring the ethnic societies therein and their bank accounts.

Going north, some of the attire would either look like a rap music video, or life on the farm south of the border, or the myriad of other atypical subcultures found in the Americana landscape.

Going south, it was hipster country: beards, trendy clothes, coffee shops and bars, dogs on leashes, same sex couples holding hands, long lines outside the newest eatery, vegan this, gluten free that, tastes like meat but its a vegetable, etc..

I find myself (looking through my clothes recently when packing them) reflecting some of these demographics, mostly the trendy hipster.

I couldn't help it... but I wasn't 'converted' to the newest diet fad or beguiled to lose political and economic sensibilities.

Moving into this area from our previous living situation, I too came to reflect my immediate surroundings.

Naturally.

I do have some baggy clothes that reflect a certain cross-section of society, along with the hoodies... although my demeanor or attitude isn't included alongside that look.

Those clothes are usually worn in the winter because they simply keep me warmer.

The shorts, t-shirts, and sandals are usual summer attire.

I've been wearing t-shirts, shorts, and sandals since I was a child (mom loved going to the beach).

I add sweater, or hooded sweater, to wearing linen pants and a buttoned long-sleeved shirts for colder days.

I'm a nerd... so I guess I also dress like a nerd.

The new neighborhood is all single family homes.

Not a single apartment, not even a duplex I've seen (neighborhood streets are zoned SFR).

Largely homogenous, speckled with bits of ethnic diversity.

The economics also reflect a homogeny of sorts.

Merchants (businesses, places to eat, consume, etc.) are not nearby but found near major street intersections.

Less people using public transportation, little to no graffiti, little to no litter strewn about.

I am looking forward to this next chapter in life.

I'm excited to learn how this recent move will set-up the next bigger move... a move we've been waiting in anticipation for.

God bring it forth sooner rather than later, yet may Your timing and will be as You please.