One thing loving our neighbor means is watching out for the other guy. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as the Good Samaritan stopping to tend an injured man’s wounds. It can be as simple and significant as making a phone call.
I was sitting on my couch on one of those tired mornings when my phone was more interesting than doing chores. I’d left the gate open, sure the mares would stay in the pasture.
I’d come in the house to use the bathroom and sat down to read some Facebook. The phone rang. “Dad wanted me to let you know your horses are out in the hayfield,” my neighbor Kenny said. By the time I opened the door, they were trotting up our quiet road towards a busy highway.
Visions of dead horses, dead people, lawsuits flashed through my head. I grabbed the lead ropes and jumped in the car and drove fast. I sighed when I found Morgen and Tessie peacefully grazing by the side of our quiet road. I stopped the car, put the flashers on, caught them and led them home. I latched the gate.
If you see something amiss like horses or cattle outside their pasture, or smoke drifting out of the house, or strange cars in someone’s driveway, don’t hesitate to check with them to make sure everything is all right.
I’m Katie Andraski, and that’s my perspective. If you’d like to hear me speak this, click here.
This month I’m writing a poem a day at https://www.tupelopress.org/the-3030-project-2/. Because they are posting these alphabetically, my poems show up first. If you’d like to donate to support this important independent press, here’s the donation page: https://tupelopress.networkforgood.com/projects/32537-katie-andraski-s-fundraiser
What wonderful neighbors you have, Katie, and I’m so glad that the horses were okay. Oh my! Daddy used to quote Ben Franklin (I think) that good fences make good neighbors. And my grandmother always said not to get thick w/ your neighbors, going back and forth to their houses. There are good neighbors and bad. But we have had wonderful neighbors and we look out for each other. You’re so right. You can offer simple courtesy to inquire if something in the neighborhood does not look quite right. Maybe it is nothing. On the other hand, it may be a big deal. It’s important to ask. Once a neighbor who wasn’t particularly social returned our standard poodle to us. Chevy had never before broken his fence, and he never would have known how to negotiate traffic had he ventured down the street and nearby highway. I was so grateful to her. Thanks for your lovely poetry too. You should share that w/ your neighbors as well.
Love
Lynn
Interesting perspective your grandmother had on neighbors. We pretty much let our neighbors be. So glad you’ve had some good neighbors. That’s so wonderful your neighbor returned your poodle to you. It’s an awful feeling to lose them. Thank you for reading and enjoying my poems. Seven more days left of this marathon writing deal but I’m getting tired!