Unfriendly 'hood
I’ve read a number of articles in which people complain about the loss of a friendly neighbourhood, no longer like it was in the “good ol’ days”.
I’ve had similar experiences in some areas we’ve lived in – loud thumping music, bad driving, knock-down and drag out arguments, drunks throwing up, dogs digging up our garden, cats propagating with vocal accompaniment, cars knocking over our mailbox and the like.
My natural instincts as a male are to retaliate and to isolate ourselves from others, but it’s not good to force my wife and kids to become isolated, to circle the wagons and to snarl at my neighbors, just because that’s my default mode. After all, they spend a lot more time in the neighborhood than I do.
For my family’s sake I’ve taken Jesus’ words seriously – to “do good unto those who despitefully use you” to “not repay evil with evil” but repay evil with good. When it’s trash collection day, we’ll bring the neighbor’s wheelie bins in along with our own. When we get freebies of dishwasher powder in the mailbox, we’ll give it to someone who has a dishwasher (we don’t have one). We offer to empty others’ mailboxes when they go on vacation. My wife will invite a woman, who’s been beaten up the night before, over for a cuppa and a chat. We started a neighborhood watch and organised a getting-to-know-you block party. We give a lady a ride to the physiotherapist after she injured herself and totalled her car (it was her own drunken fault). We help people find their lost puppy.
Things are starting to change. Slowly. Very slowly. But change nevertheless, making the place my precious family spends most of their time in a neighborhood we can someday be proud of.
Goodwill!
Don’t let your selfish attitudes ruin the ‘hood for the whole family. Be a benediction to the neighborhood, and you will reap a harvest of good will. Trust me.
