Hello Neighbor :)

Published by julia | Filed under Miscellaneous, Shout Outs, Uncategorized

All across the nation there are neighborhoods.  Big ones, small ones, old ones, and new ones.  Chances are that you have a neighbor now.  With all the demand for subdivisions and planned communities, chances are that you will also have neighbors when you buy your new house.  Are you a good neighbor?

It occurred to me the other day that the word “neighbor” conjures up for me negative connotations and feelings of resentment and irritation, whereas when I was a kid, “neighbor” was a warm and fuzzy word.  Sayings like “Howdy Neighbor!”, “Love Thy Neighbor”, “Like a Good Neighbor…” etc.  demonstrate that our neighbor is supposed to be a good guy.  Many years ago we could trust our neighbors and vice versa.  We shared with and looked out for one another.  So why is it different today?

Lifestyles are different today and people are busier.  That could be a factor.  But I wonder if it has anything to do with today’s subdivisions where houses are too close together, grounds are often not properly maintained and it makes people grumpy.

I was talking to a city official recently about the addition of some no parking signs in a popular subdivision.  He was pretty agitated and rude, but confessed eventually that there is so much bickering going on in that neighborhood and so many neighbor complaints upon one another that the city just decided to start enforcing things that have been rules all along.  I imagined the neighborhood as a bunch of children who just got in trouble for fighting.  But we are not talking about children.  We are talking about adults.

I spoke to a police sergeant about the seriousness of the no parking signs and by the end of our conversation he told me that all the subs he was in contact with were in constant turmoil and spitting matches among neighbors.  I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. 

What happened to our sense of being neighborly?  If your neighbor’s teenage son is parking on the edge of your grass at the road, talk to him about it.  He probably does not realize it.  Your results will be much better than that of the nightly walks around the neighborhood, complaining to those who will listen and deciding who is going to call the city this time.  Moving into a new neighborhood is the perfect time to reinvent yourself as a neighbor.  Think back to when we all were good neighbors and when you take possession of your new house, remember to say “howdy” to your new neighbors and keep the lines of communication open and everyone will be happy.

Article submitted by In2Va.com contributor.