“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” – Benjamin Franklin
My husband & I started to look for houses in the end of 2008. We ended up touring 60 houses in Minneapolis & St. Paul. 57 were in Minneapolis and we loved many of them, we even made an offer on one, but St. Paul was where we were meant to be. We moved into our house in May of 2009. During the course of the first few days, we met all neighbors except one – we still don’t know her name – but 3 out of 4 is awesome. One came with a 6 pack of beer, one with fresh made banana bread and one with an Ivy plant. My husband grew up in Southern California and apparently they don’t greet new neighbors in his old neighborhood. It was eye opening for him and I think he was pretty impressed with our new location.
A neighbor should be willing to keep an eye on your house when you’re gone, be honest if you’re being too loud on a Tuesday night in the summer, give you a holiday card and possibly even remember your birthday. You should know a few little tidbits about your neighbors – a hobby they are really into, their grandchild’s name or their favorite flower in their garden. At the same time, it’s a relationship different from a friendship, it’s closer geographically but there is a little less sacrifice and obligation. It’s a community of people instead of a one on one relationship.
I was reminded of my awesome neighbors today twice, but in the opposite direction. I woke up this morning and went downstairs to the kitchen to let the dogs out. As soon as I opened the door, I realized that there were two St. Paul police officers in my neighbor’s backyard. Instead of minding my own business, I found myself extremely concerned about what was happening. It turns out that when she left in the morning, she must have set her alarm and reopened her door so they were quickly and quietly responding to the alarm trigger. It was a simple little visit for the officers, but I felt better that they responded so quickly and filled me in on what was happening. This evening, my doorbell rang when I returned home and it was my neighbor across the street. He was in need of a dog sitter for his adorable little dog. Obviously, I love dogs so I had no problem saying yes. Such a simple gesture, but it helped him out a ton. Feels so good to be a good neighbor, plus it’s SOOO easy. Try it.
