Meet Rachel: The Heart Behind Sidewalk Joy

Meet Rachel: The Heart Behind Sidewalk Joy

People move to the mountains because they’re looking for something different. Not sidewalks. Not streetlights. Not manicured neighborhoods.

What we’re looking for is space, and a sense of belonging that isn’t shaped by how a neighborhood is zoned.

That’s why I was drawn to Rachel’s story. She lives in Portland, Oregon, where sidewalks stretch for miles. Instead of using them just to pass through, she decided to fill them with life. She started something called Sidewalk Joy, small neighborhood stands where people can leave and take trinkets, books, seeds, art, or little notes of encouragement.

She’s even built a worldwide directory of these community spots, each one a tiny sign of shared hope.

Rachel says years of zoning laws and single-family housing patterns have quietly separated people. The result is fewer front-yard conversations, fewer “hello’s,” and fewer simple moments that form the glue of a neighborhood.

As I watched the video walkthrough of her Portland neighborhood, I began to notice what she meant. Basketball hoops facing the street instead of the driveway. Swings hanging from trees near the curb. Little shelves and painted boxes filled with handmade gifts.

Each one was an invitation; a quiet way of saying, we still want to know each other.

When I think of our mountain communities, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village, and Angelus Oaks, I realize we’ve been doing our own version of this all along. We gather at the Community Center. We wave at the mail truck. We bring soup to a sick neighbor. And now, through projects like the 38 Bulletin App, we share information and stories that keep us connected in new ways.

That’s our mountain joy.

Sidewalks or not, the need is the same everywhere; to be part of something that feels like home, to share a little kindness and know it matters.

That’s what this newsletter is all about, a weekly reminder that we’re connected to our community through involvement and the ways we keep in touch. We are not alone in these mountains.

Like my mother always reminded me, if you want to make friends, show yourself friendly. That doesn’t mean you have to be an extrovert. Just be yourself and be mindful of others.