Announcer 1: The views and opinions expressed in to the point are those of the hosted, the program and its guests.

They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of WGTE public media.

Doni: It's been a really rough few years for many reasons.

It's been more than just tiring.

It's been soul searing.

We discuss a lot of challenging issues on this show, but this week I felt the need to find some joy.

I wanted to talk to good people doing good things.

Individuals who are still striving to make a positive impact in the world, and those who genuinely care about others.

That's when I came across an amazing initiative called Neighbor to Neighbor.

Today, we're speaking with Carol Nichols and David Karmol, members of this initiative, and a great example of how differences can lead to wonderful friendships.

I'm Doni Miller, and welcome to the Point As you know, you can always connect with us on our social media pages.

You can always email me at Doni underscore Miller at wgte dot org.

And for this episode and any additional extras that you'd like to see, don't hesitate to go to wgte.org slash To the point, I am so excited this morning.

We're going to talk about Joy this morning.

And we have two ambassadors that will tell us how they managed, through an amazing initiative called Neighbor to Neighbor, to overcome some of the strongest difficulties to overcome political difficulties, to be friends, and to spread, this pathway to joy throughout our community.

It's my honor and my real pleasure to introduce you to Carol Nichols.

She is one of the founding members of this initiative, neighbor to neighbor, and also a member of its hosting organization.

Saint Michael's in the Hills, right?

Carol: That's right.

You did get that right.

Doni: David.

David Karmol, many of you know that name.

His family has been around for very, very long time in this community, serving this community.

Thank you for that service from you and your family.

And you are a member of this initiative, David: brought in by Carol.

Yeah.

I have to give her all.

Doni: Carol's pretty powerful.

David: I'm just a neighbor.

So Doni: in this initiative, there is no such thing as just the neighbor.

Well, so, Carol, tell me, I, you know, the the obvious question.

What spurred you to.

Carol: Thanks.

So, like many people, I have been bothered by this narrative of the political divide.

political divide.

And really, for about ten years.

And, and when Dave first moved in and put up his first political sign.

So I was like, oh, we are different.

but, you know, we've always been able to be good neighbors.

So, and I've always wanted Saint Michael's to be involved somehow to, to to say, you know, love your neighbor, even those who vote differently than you.

Sure.

But you know, there was lots of things going on, and, there was a pandemic.

so this idea just was like niggling and niggling and niggling at lots of us.

And then, really, we're here in large part because of our new priest, Reverend Gayle Catinella because she when I kind of floated this idea by her, said, I love it.

Let's have a meeting.

And so we had a meeting in January and, and here we are at and it's really grown tremendously.

And the reason I think it's grown is because lots of people feel this way.

Yeah.

That like, yeah, even though we have vastly different political beliefs, we still believe in treating each other with dignity and kindness.

And friendship.

I mean, I think, that's what it's that's what it's all about.

So, we have many community partners, and we're really excited by that.

And it's a peace initiative.

Our whole goal is to not to convince anybody of anything except to just bring it down.

Bring it down, folks.

You have a choice on how you treat each other.

Doni: That's right.

That's exactly right.

So, David, which of you reached over the back fence first over this?

David: Well, I think originally when I moved in, the Nichols had already been there for years.

And, they definitely welcomed me to my house when I moved down.

And I appreciated that.

And, you know, I actually had some neighbors who said, now, oh, Carol and Larry, they're very liberal.

Dave, you're never going to get along with them And I thought, well, like, they seem like such nice people, even though they're very liberal, nice people.

I and and they are.

And I got to know Carol and Larry and, you know, they really welcomed me.

They made me feel at home.

They when my dog needed to be let out, they would come over and do that.

Little things that you do as neighbors, Carol: when Dave would be at the polls very late and we would let you know.

So he's really.

Davis: Yeah.

When I, when I was on the Board of elections, I was there till two in the morning and my dog needed to be let out.

And I could, you know, I could call them at 1130 at night and say, could you let Shasta out?

Right.

And they would and that, you know, we just got to be really good friends and it's it's kind of like, yes, we do disagree over here, but there's so many things that we get along I don't we I love, you know, Larry's expertise in art and some of the things at the museum, Carol is always gardening and making my yard look not so great in comparison.

But, you know, we we just we get along well as neighbors.

And why?

To let the fact that when I put up a yard sign, I know they're going to have the opposing yard sign up, but I don't let it bother me too much.

But I do Doni: Do you talk politics at all?

David: I think Carol's good at getting me not to.

Okay, she knows it won't lead to a good place, so.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But, I, I'm always happy when I find that I can support an unopposed candidate so that they can't find a opposing.

So.

Doni: So how did you guys decide to invite others into this?

Carol: Well, it's all about neighbors, so you can't really do it by yourself, right?

Doni: that's a great point.

Carol: you know, you can't.

Yeah.

So we just, as our little group got together, our, our committee, we, we were brainstorming on how to move forward, and and our mission statement is to love, learn and serve.

Yes.

And so that seemed like a really easy way to kind of focus our thoughts.

And the first is love.

And so we thought, well, let's make those yard signs that say heart your neighbor.

And, we purposefully our designer, Steve Ripley said, let's stay away from red and blue.

So we have pink and green and Doni: I think we can hope.

Well okay, okay.

We can hold up this one, this and it's on.

Can you see it.

Yeah.

You can see it.

It's behind us too.

So you'll get to see it throughout the show.

It's pretty cool.

Carol: So we agreed on the bumper sticker, on the bumper stickers and on the yard signs, and we purposely did not put Saint Michael's in the hills on the yard sign because we want it to be for everyone, no matter what your faith or culture.

you know, everybody has a neighbor.

We are all neighbors, and you don't often get, you know, you don't usually get to choose your neighbor.

And so they might not be your best friend.

Sure.

But you do have the choice and how you behave.

Yeah.

Always.

And so that was our one thing.

And then also with love we thought, you know, there's so much stress around this election.

Yes.

There's so much, you know, fear and anxiety and anger.

And we thought, you know what?

Let's just like move through that and have a party and have a good time together.

Because you know what?

That's more fun.

You have more fun when you're having, you know, when you're dancing and when you're, you know, at a park.

And our beautiful Metroparks Metro Park is a wonderful community partner for us.

So we're having a party on August 25th at Glass City Metro Park.

it's from 4 to 7.

We're having a fantastic band and, so it'll be just just come on out and have a good time.

Write it down.

Doni: Everybody is invited.

Carol: And that's such a wonderful, wonderful park.

Doni: It is.

Carol: So that'll be really fun.

Lots of activities for kids for all ages.

Bring a picnic.

There'll be food trucks.

so it should be a great a great kind of community kickoff.

And that's where we'll also have our yard signs available.

If people want to pick up a yard sign or a bumper sticker or a little sticker, it'll all be there.

Doni: I already ordered My yard sign, by the way.

Carol: Yeah, we have a wonderful website which, neighbor to neighbor toledo.com.

And, so that was the first one.

And the second one is learn, and we decided to invite, a nationally known, author and, columnist, David Brooks.

And he is coming October 8th.

He will be at the Franciscan Center at Lourdes, College, University.

And, we're very excited to have David Brooks come.

His most recent book is How to Know a Person The Art of, being of seeing deeply and being deeply seen.

And it's all about relationships.

yes, we all have political opinions, but it's his book is about connecting as people, right?

He says, I am bored with the generalizations of political parties or whatever.

Right.

I want to get to know a person right one at a time.

Right?

So, so come to the party and let's see how we all dance.

Doni: Yeah.

so we only have a minute or so left in this segment, but I want to ask you before we go to break, is it about is it as simple as being nice to each other?

David?

David: You know, I think it is.

And I think it's also a matter of understanding that no matter how heated the rhetoric gets and it does get very heated, you've got people saying, you know, this will be the end of democracy and the end of civilization.

Whatever it you know, having spent 30 years in Washington, I've heard this before.

And guess what?

We always get through the next four years.

So put that aside for a moment.

Remember that your neighbor will still be your neighbor after the election, so just be nice to your neighbor.

Yeah, even though they're voting for the wrong person and some of them are.

And you know, when you look at Carol, like, you know, from my perspective, she's voting for the wrong person, but that's okay.

That's, you know, democracy.

Everyone has the right to be wrong.

We always say, Doni: well, you hold that thought.

We're going to come back and talk about, you know, what it takes to to get to the point that you guys are at, and where we hope everybody lands.

in the next few months, we're going to go away.

We'll be right back.

Announcer 2: Websites arent supposed to be Slow or confusing or unresponsive Websites are supposed to seemlessly connect you to the things you cant get enough of so you can get the most out of your time online with features to make with features to make your viewing experience better WGTEs user friendly website takes out all your hassles and worries so you can get to the programming you love with a simple click all on your time from live listening on listening suppoerted public radio fm91 and local tv favorites to resources and digital activities for families, educators, and caregivers its easier than ever to get in on all the latest news, podcast, radio and tv programming you love to enjoy we make our simple and fun so you can have more time getting back to what you love watch listen and learn at wgte.org Doni: Welcome back!

And as you know, you can connect with us on our social media pages.

You can also email me at Doni Underscore Miller at wgte.

Org and, for this episode and any other you'd like to see, please take a minute.

Go to wgte.org to the point, if you were with us in the first segment, you know that we have the wonderful Carol Nichols with us, who is accompanied by David Karmol.

Both are members of an amazing initiative, one that I have taken to my heart very quickly.

it's called Neighbor to Neighbor, and it's all about seeing past the rhetoric and see and focusing on and and correct me if I'm overstated, if I'm overstating, but focusing on the things that matter.

Right?

Right, right Carol: right, right.

You know, I feel like there's such sweeping powers at play in our world at play in our world today that I have no control over.

Right?

Yes, I'm going to vote and and everyone should vote.

And that's really important.

But still, I feel like there's just this, this, these powers beyond our control.

And so the one of the things I do have control over is how I behave.

I try is how I respond.

And so, you know, we had said, is it more than just being kind?

It is about being kind.

but I know it's not always easy.

I think we have it pretty.

We have it pretty easy.

Even though we're on opposite sides of the world politically.

We're both.

You know, I educated and, we're both in pretty comfortable spots in our life.

We're both retired after good careers.

So we we both have family support.

I mean, we have a lot of things going, but we both love dogs.

David: Yeah, that's a big one.

Carol: So we have a lot of things that make it easier.

But even if it's difficult and and sometimes even scary, maybe with your neighbors it shouldn't be.

It's not impossible to wave right to to, you know, if they're trash, you know, an animal got into their trash.

Help them pick it up.

Right.

If whatever.

If they're there, you know, they're out of town.

And yet there are fliers or newspapers lying on their driveway.

Pick them up.

And these are the things that you do, probably without even thinking about it.

Doni: That's right.

Carol: But that's that's really important.

And, Doni: you know, it's really interesting that it's so we're all about the same generation is my guess.

And when I was a kid, those were things that people just did.

Neighbors did that.

They watched out for each other.

They made sure that they were available if if they needed to be.

And and I grew up in a neighborhood where not everybody had everything they needed all the time, and they managed to share with each other the things that they had, despite the differences.

And as long as there are human beings, there will be difference So it but we've moved away from that, for, for some reason Carol: or we're being told that we've moved away from that.

Doni: That's an interesting way to look at it.

We've been told that Carol: and, you know, I think Doni: but essentially we haven't.

Carol: But I think a lot of it I mean, there's there's so much kindness out there if you just open up your eyes.

That's true.

and, and there are so many the, love learn and the third is serve.

And that is, we will have a campaign of intentional acts of kindness.

Doni: I saw that on your website.

Carol: Right.

So more than just random, these are intentional.

Think about how you can be nice.

Be spread the spread the joy is, you know, think of ways.

And our one of our goals is just to lower the temperature.

Just just try to make somebody smile.

So maybe when you go to vote, if it's raining and you're in, you know, give your umbrella to the next person and you know, that's that's just one idea.

I'm sure that everybody will have a lot more creative ideas.

But, we're trying to really help have people think about ways they, as an individual, as a neighbor, can bring it down and just, make somebody smile.

Yeah.

It's, you know, it feels a lot better to be to be kind and generous and loving than it does to feel angry and fearful and, Isolated.

Doni: Isolated.

That's a great word.

Yeah.

So, David, obviously, Carol is not a shrinking violet.

And, I think I'm safe in saying that.

And obviously there's a lot of energy, in the house of your neighbors.

But how was it difficult for you to remember that they are probably far more liberal than you are?

Was it was it difficult for you to get by that?

How did people get here?

David: I don't think so.

And maybe, Well, I hate to say this, but maybe it's because I did spend 30 years in Washington.

And believe it or not, we did work with the other party.

We had to because in order to get things done, you know, we work with people.

We don't agree with, but we work on the things that we do agree on.

And so maybe that's an advantage I have or that I could say, well, this part I don't agree, but all these other parts are great.

You know, they're great people.

So I, I don't think I had a problem.

But I do understand what you're saying on what Carol is saying.

And I think, you know, maybe social media has made it easy to say mean things to people who aren't right there in front of you, for sure.

And with with this, I think we're saying, let's get back to the old days when you actually did talk to your neighbor over the fence, which I actually I had to build a fence when I moved in because my dog, one of the first things he did was attack a guy on a bike.

So I had to get a fence put up right away.

And so instead of, you know, looking through the hedge or whatever, we actually have a fence that we now have to talk over, but but, you know, it's a it's it's kind of a great throwback to the days of talking across the fence to your neighbor.

And I think if we can get back to that, where we actually physically talk to our neighbors, you know, over the fence or right through the backyard, over the hedge, whatever.

Yeah, yeah.

We it it's it becomes more difficult to treat them as just this evil person who votes the wrong way.

And I actually look at them as a whole person.

Who's you know, their political views are part.

But that's not all they are.

They're also a person who has other interests and loves dogs.

So, you know, so how bad could they be?

How bad?

Right.

Doni: That's exactly right.

That's so I know this is an initiative, or at least I assume that this is an initiative that's pretty focused on this particular time and the political process.

Any thoughts at all about extending?

Carol: Yes, that's Gayle, Reverend Gayle again, she was the first one who said, well, this will have to continue.

This isn't just, but right now our focus is on 2024 election year peace initiative.

but into the, you know, into the future, I think neighbor to neighbor.

we'll have a have lots of opportunity to just continue to spread the word, you know.

Yeah, yeah.

Of bring it down, people.

And let's just let's just have it, you know, let's just have a good time together and appreciate the goodness in each other.

Doni: Yeah.

I want to encourage you all to go to the website.

it's your reverend is amazing.

Some of the things that she says on that website are so inspiring.

I read them many, many times as I was preparing to to talk to you today.

And there's also an opportunity to order those really cool signs that we that you see behind us.

Right?

And that, Carol showed you earlier, this is actually the bumper sticker.

Carol: That's the bumper sticker.

Sticker.

Doni: I've already ordered my signs.

Actually, I get them today.

Yeah, I get them today.

Carol: And, you'll be able to buy tickets for David Brooks, through the website as well.

Doni: so give them the website address again, it's neighbor to neighbor toledo.com Doni: and the date of the David Brooks Carol: October 8th, Tuesday, Tuesday at and tickets go on sale September 1st.

Doni: Okay.

And, we have a few minutes left that I want to make sure we talk about the picnic again.

Carol: Okay.

August 25th at Glass City Metro Park.

at the event pavilion on the beautiful lawn there.

And, come on down and it's free.

Oh, it's free.

Oh, it's definitely free.

It's free.

And they'll they'll be, lots of activities for families and, like a band.

And it's.

If you haven't been down to the Metro park, make this your excuse for going down, because it's so beautiful.

And if it's a hot day, there's plenty of water activities for the kids, and there's always a breeze off the river.

And it's going to be great.

Doni: Yeah, it's.

It really sounds like it.

One of, Will we be just hanging out at that party at the park?

Carol: Well, we hope that you'll be hanging out with your neighbor.

Yes, I and and, you know, we're all neighbors in Toledo and just, you know, get to know a few people, and, they'll be there's an a craft and art table put on by the Toledo Museum of Art for for kids and families.

And, there's going to be, amazing athletes as one of our community partners for the little kids will be a little, you know, activities for them.

But the the metro park itself has so much to appreciate and enjoy.

And there'll be food trucks, as I said, and you're welcome to bring a picnic as well.

Doni: So how does somebody join the initiative?

Well, neighbor to neighbor.

I go to the website.

I think that's the best way you can request a sign there.

You can, make a donation.

If that was something you felt you'd like to do.

we are able to give away our yard signs, because we have had generous community partners, you know?

So, we hope that we will.

That will all come out in the end.

Great.

Doni: If you just want to help.

Right.

Somebody just wants to help.

They should go to the website and and and reach out in their names and you'll do that.

You guys are such an inspiration.

Thank you so much for spending this time.

I really I want to Carol: there's one more little thing and that is the fourth one is that after the election, November 17th, we we'll have we're still neighbors event at Glass City Metro Park, so stay tuned.

Doni: All right.

Thank you both.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

And look at how easy it is to bring some joy into times that can be pretty challenging for all of us.

Thank you for joining us today.

I look forward to seeing you next time.

Until the point.

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