Meet Your Neighbor: Goldie Barrett
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I just love it when I meet new neighbors and they tell me how much they like living here in Southern Gables, and it’s over-the-top great when they say they want to get involved with the community. Exactly that combination of things happened the other day after my friend Lisa introduced me to Goldie Barrett. Goldie and her husband Alex are part of the wave of fresh new energy in our wonderful neighborhood. I met with her to find out more. Interview by Bruce McDonald.
Bruce: Our friend Lisa told me a while ago that you were interested in getting involved with the Neighborhood Association, and for some reason time just slipped by. It seems I am easily distracted. The thought came back to me later and I asked her for an introduction. She said you were probably too busy, with a new baby and all… then she checked with you again and told me you’re up for it!
Goldie: Yes, this is such a great place to live, how could I not want to make the most of it? When we moved here last November, we were so fully welcomed and made to feel at home, it felt really good from the start. We met lots of neighbors right away, and we joined a text chain for staying in touch all up and down the street. We’re connected with twelve families all nearby who have kids the same age! That’s amazing!
So that was in November you came here, and I have to ask – what was it that brought you to this part of Lakewood? Lisa helped us find this house and she has so many good friends here it made for an easy fit. She’s been such a good friend and was so happy with living here, I think she wanted to share it. We have a nice view and I love seeing the mountains.
With that love of the mountains, did you grow up here in Colorado? No, I’m from upstate New York, the Catskills. Alex is from Orlando. He came here for his PhD at Anschutz – he’s a medical researcher, a scientist. For me, it was the skiing that drew me here to Colorado. I went to a ski Academy for ski racing for four years of high school. I love skiing and there’s no better place in the country than Colorado to live that dream. Alex and I met in 2021, during COVID. After being married a few years and wanting to start a family, that’s when we decided to look for a house where we could raise a family. With our girls – our first daughter is almost three – it’s so great here. Kids play in the street together, and the parks are so great… Which are your favorite parks? Carmody is right over there, and the Green Gables School playground is great for the little ones.
Do you have a favorite memory with your neighbors since you moved here? Everyone is just so nice, I guess I can say it’s an ongoing memory – how quickly people welcomed us, and how that has continued into such good steady friendships. Krystal from a few doors down comes over to visit regularly, and she has told me such interesting things about this part of the neighborhood – did you know this western end of the street is called Mountain View? Well, it’s all Southern Gables to me – Valley View included – but I know there are lots of different parts based on developers’ filings. That is interesting though; I hadn’t heard the Mountain View one. It’s very well named!
What can you tell about your work, hobbies, leisure pursuits? I owned a tour business for eight years, doing Colorado cultural tourism. I really enjoyed that and learned a lot. I have a degree in anthropology from the University of New Hampshire and it gave me a good background for guiding people through meaningful experiences, and the business of designing and booking the tours. More recently I got a real estate license and Lisa is mentoring me. And about leisure, now, hm, I guess you can say it’s child oriented. I like to walk. We walk a lot, and enjoy the parks.
What is your most interesting talent? That’s easy: connecting with people. I work at understanding their stories, and that helps me in relationships of all kinds. The art of connection. [Editorial note. Here I can say that although I have written just one side of the conversation, Goldie was interviewing me as well all along, and in the unreported part I admired her art of connection.]
In closing, do you have a favorite quote or some words of advice? Yes I do. The moment that you’re in is fleeting, so make sure you are present for it, and enjoy every bit of it.
Well, I certainly have enjoyed these moments, and it’s a pleasure to be able to introduce you to more of our neighbors here in Southern Gables. Valley View. Mountain View.
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