Linda and Doug Olsen have been in Gig Harbor for decades, since it was a small town with one traffic light. When they arrived with their young family they didn’t know anyone, but over the decades their community of friends has grown. They’ve opened their home to friends and neighbors over the years, and even invited several friends to live with them in difficult times.
Every morning Linda meets her friends Penny and Jeannie daily at Cutters Point for coffee and a walk where they catch up, provide support to each other, talk about life, and walk the Cushman Trail. They’ve been friends for 30 years and walking together everyday for decades.
For Linda and Doug communication is at the heart of their success in marriage, family life, and community. While communicating openly didn’t come easily at first, the impacts of learning to listen and share with people have been felt in all areas of their lives. “When I learned to communicate with my wife I also learned to communicate with my kids,” says Doug. “If most of us or all of us that we come in contact with were to communicate, and listen, and share then life would be a whole lot simpler."
What happens when you meet your neighbors? How can we increase the feeling of connection between members of our community and their neighbors? Over the past few months we here at Windermere Professional Partners have set out to answer those questions. Based on recommendations from our REALTORS® we set out with a camera crew to speak to our neighbors from the heart about what it means to be a neighbor, to live life fully, and to connect with our community.
Click here to watch the behind the scenes vlog!
Produced by Gabriel Ng