#10 - Good Neighbours

My parents just got back after having been away for a month and I looked after the house. They had told their neighbours John and Alice that I would be here alone.

Before Mum and Dad left the hot water heater started to leak, and Dad had said that if there were any more problems with it while they were away I could ask John to take a look at it. One night, sure enough, I checked and it was leaking again. I knew that I would have to call the company to come and fix it, but figured there was no harm in asking John to come and take a look. So over he came later that evening to take a look at it and give me some fatherly advice.

A few nights later Alice called and invited me over for dinner, but I had already eaten. So she showed on my doorstep up an hour later with two meals-worth of lasagne.

Then, this past weekend I was raking the leaves, cutting the grass, and cleaning the house in preparation for my parents' return. First, John came over with a yard waste bag and gave me a hand filling it, then he came over to look at the lawnmower when he'd seen that I had stalled it (it has rained so much in the past month that I had not managed to cut the grass in four weeks and it was long).

Maybe it's because I grew up in a farming community where people look out for each other, but I really appreciate neighbours who are willing to watch out for each other, and who aren't afriad to ask for/offer help. It dawned on me that some might find it invasive to have neighbours keeping track of you, but for me it feels reassuring. My grandparents and great aunt and uncle have lived next-door to each other for 60 years, and in my family we always helped each other if needed. Living so close to each other, and with my dad and uncles working together on the farm every day there were definitely some clearly-drawn boundaries, but there was always the standing offer of help and all you had to do was ask.

When my parents were away, I found it reassuring to know that my neighbours knew that I was in the house alone and were keeping an eye out.