Being a Neighbor

Okay call me crazy or a glutton for punishment, but as we continue to dig out from a record-breaking December snowfall, I find that some neighbors need help.

My next-door neighbors are retired, and while they are generally in good health, they are near 80 years old and trying to shovel 21" (53cm) of snow by hand is too much to do. I have a snow blower, which (once you get the hang of it), makes snow removal fairly easy.

I have another neighbor down the street who is disabled. She has managed to antagonize some of the other neighbors, so no one would even check on her or offer to help.

Well ... it is not in me to ignore someone when I know that they may have a need. I called the disabled neighbor on the telephone, and when she didn't answer, I knocked on her door. She was okay, but as you can imagine, she was daunted by being blocked in by all that snow. Therefore, I used my snowblower and shovel, and soon enough, opened her drive and sidewalks as well.

It wasn't easy, and I'm sore. But I am not looking for a medal. I am saying that "being a neighbor" means more than just having an address in the same block or building. It means taking time to learn about your neighbors and their needs, and offering to help with skills that you can share.

I get annoyed at the able-bodied yuppies down the street who only care for themselves. Whose children don't lift a finger (or a shovel) to help out even at their own house, much less at a neighbor's. The kids have no work ethic, because the parents have not taught it as a value nor demonstrated it by their own actions.

Call me old-fashioned, call me crazy, but whatever you may call me, I hope you call me a good neighbor.

And yeah, after the snow removal was done, I did have a little fun, as demonstrated below.

Life is short: be a good neighbor