Good Neighbors

Neighbors are a bit of a crapshoot. As they say, you can pick your nose but not your neighbors. The weird neighbor is a staple of the horror film genre. So if you are lucky enough to draw a good one(s), consider yourself blessed.

It’s hard to be a good neighbor in these times. The switch from front-porches to backyard decks has had an ill effect on neighborliness.  People used to sit out on their front porch on beautiful evenings and visit with everyone that meandered by. Not so when huddled around the backyard grill. Isolation. Cul-de-sacs. Barriers. Busy lives. Busy children’s lives.

WCCO radio's motto is "The Good Neighbor". Each weekday, they choose a "good neighbor" from nominations submitted by listeners in the 5 state area. My grandmother, Esther, in the small town of Lowry was a winner, well deserved, in the 60's. Usually, the award is for continuing kindness to others.  I thought about submitting a nomination to show appreciation but WCCO is not the Minnesota force it once was.  This blog probably reaches more readership - well, maybe not.

Happily, there are people who still embody the good neighbor spirit. We are blessed by one such paragon.

This morning we faced the first "snowpocalypse" of the season. National news. Heavy, wet, deep snow. Uffda. A nightmare for these old bones. But ... here I sit, cozy and warm, sipping my morning coffee, happily typing away while my good, beyond good, neighbor is running his snowblower over my drive.  And ... when the snowplow eventually dumps it's 2 ton load at the end of my drive, I am confident he will be back for another rescue operation - after he's cleared 500' of sidewalk.


And the list of random acts of kindness goes on ...

Item.  Last year the snowplow did a number on our mailboxes.  Neighbor to the rescue, anchored with enough concrete to take off the snowplow blade.


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Item: If 150 bags of mulch appear in your driveway, a man with a wheel-barrow (and his willing son!) will magically appear to help.

Item: If a tree is struck by lightning and splits, a man with a chainsaw will be there before the smoke clears.

Item: If you are away on holiday, somehow your lawn magically seems to stop growing.  And if you are disabled this seems to be a weekly miracle.

Item: And who would you guess hosts the neighborhood block party each year?

As we age, these acts of kindness are ever more appreciated and helps us avoid the rest home for a while longer. My good spouse generally takes a plate of brownies across the street to express our thanks. Maybe that's the key.  (I jest.)  But it does make us a bit lazy.


Copyright © 2019 Dave Hoplin