When people plan a neighborhood gathering, it is easy to focus on the wrong things. What food should we serve? Should we have games for the kids? Do we need music? How many tables and chairs? Should there be a theme? What if only a few people show up? Those questions aren't unimportant. But they aren't what determines whether a neighborhood gathering is successful. The goal isn't entertainment. The goal is connection. One of my favorite examples happened in my own driveway. My wife and I periodically invite our neighbors to simple driveway gatherings. Nothing elaborate—coffee and donuts, homemade ice cream, or some other simple excuse to put a few chairs in the driveway and invite people over. We aren't trying to impress anyone. We aren't trying to create an event that people will talk about for weeks. We are simply creating a reason for neighbors to come outside, meet one another and have conversations that might not otherwise happen. At one of our gatherings, ab...