When I first called Robert Simon, the founder of Reston, to schedule an interview to talk about the service Reston provides as a community, I was nervous. I babbled, I stuttered, I probably did not make any sense, but he kindly agreed to an interview, suggesting we meet over at the Lake Anne Coffee House. I really could not believe it had been that easy. I mean, meeting with this 98-year-old local legend over coffee? How… normal.

I had only three questions planned, hoping that the simplicity of those questions would turn into a conversation that would provide me with the material I needed to write a story on how Reston was founded. Over his black coffee and my green tea, we progressed from an interview into a conversation on much more than I had planned.

The more I talked to this incredibly down to earth man, the more passersby he took the time to say hello to, and the more I learned about the meaning behind Reston, I realized I could not write a story that would truly convey his whimsical nature. So, in a way, this is my ode to Mr. Simon, who created this very special community I feel many of us, myself included, take for granted.

It all started on a sheet of yellow paper, his own version of “The Program” as Simon referred to it. On it was everything he loved in life, and he narrowed down the items one by one. Crossing off unrealistic items, he was left with what Reston is today. He imagined a community full of plazas where people could gather together, adults could talk and shop and children could play in a safe environment.

“I was looking at all in the world that was great,” Simon said. “Reston is a collection of all these wonderful things and that’s what makes Reston so different.”

Among these wonderful elements are structures like the stairs to nowhere and the pyramid, both at Lake Anne Plaza. He asked if I knew what the pyramid represented, to which I told him I did not. He said that the pyramid represented exactly what he envisioned for Reston. Adults could sit and talk on the steps and children could run away with their imaginations and play in the cave underneath. It was then that I understood the message Simon was trying to convey to me.

“When people are happy that’s what it’s all about,” Simon said. “If people feel they live in a special place, they want to keep it special.”

Reston was not started to be a major profitable suburb of the big city. It was started as a place to create happiness through unity of its residents.

It is because Reston is centered on this idea of happiness that our community is strong in helping one another. We are special in that instead of adopting the mindset of a dog eat dog world, we embrace the idea of loving thy neighbor with such organizations as Reston Interfaith, the Reston Community Center, and the local homeless shelter.

“We welcomed the Embry Rucker shelter for the homeless,” Simon told me. “I don’t know how many other communities in the United States of America would welcome it. I think that’s an extraordinary example of what community means.”

These places serve only as the foundation of the community service Reston provides. It is the people who live here and subsequently serve here in Reston based organizations that make it such a magical place.

As our conversation came to an end, and I walked with Mr. Simon to the polling station, I took in the scene around me and thought of what this community had come to be based solely on the visions of this man, and it was though I was seeing Reston in a new light.

The open communities Simon strived for created this close knit community which looks out for one another because we have discovered a secret to life that many never do. I will leave the last word to Mr. Simon, who phrases it best: “When people are happy that’s what it’s all about.”