Having your neighbor’s phone number is a requirement as a neighbor. You have a responsibility to be part of the community, even Buffalo Bob did this much. It’s much better in the text era; you don’t have to talk to them, just text. This comes in handy when you need a parking spot, or perhaps you have a psychotic ex-girlfriend who is ransacking your place while you are at work – hypothetically of course. Having contact info for one neighbor is a requirement for societal living and it just might save your ass one day. The flip side is getting too close with your neighbors. You get that person who constantly invites you to lame dinner parties on odd nights, like Mondays when you just want to soak into your couch with a tall glass of detox and quiet. Then they get mad at you for not showing up and keep reminding you of it every time you see them. Before you know it you are parking a block away and using the “service entrance” as your main point of entry into your home. Being friendly does not require that you actually become friends. Another reason to avoid holding hands and singing Kumbaya with your neighbors is that they might piss you off one day and you need to have a “Come To Jesus” chat. Say your neighbor gives you grief about coming home one night at 2am and plugging in your amp for a little late night jam session. Giving you grief about that is fine, as long as they don’t have a 6 month renovation project that starts every morning at 7am! I wake you up at 2am one night, and you wake me up at 7am every damn morning for the last 4 months. The point is that it’s much more difficult to be stern with your neighbor when you are constantly breaking bread and drinking wine on his patio. Having a little privacy is also beneficial. Be friendly, but not friends. You don’t have to love thy neighbor as the bible says, but you should try to like thy neighbor, at least that is what I try to do. Thanks For Reading !