be a good neighbor.

I’ve lived here in my present neighborhood now for over 9 years and have consistantly worked on being a good neighbor.

I have been focusing on my neighborly relationships by doing some yardwork the past few weeks. Seems any time you are out working in the yard, it provides opportunity to chat with a neighbor, and many smile and wave as they go by. Keeping good care of your yard and property is neighborly, makes people happy, and inspires others to do the same. I need to keep this in mind to stay motivated on maintaining the place! Today I filled 2 large yardwaste containers after trimming back a lot of shrubs, mowing the lawn, weeding, and edging!

...from Martin Buber, the influential Jewish thinker on the subject of the vital importance of relationships to human happiness:

The unavowed secret of man is that he wants to be confirmed in his being and his existence by his fellow men and that he wishes them to make it possible for him to confirm them, and not merely in the family, in the party assembly or the public house, but also in the course of neighborly encounters, perhaps when he or the other steps outside the door of his house and the greeting by which they greet each other will be accompanied by a glance of well-wishing, a glance in which curiosity, mistrust, and routine will have been overcome by a mutual sympathy: the one gives the other to understand that he affirms his presence. This is the indispensable minimum of humanity.

According to Buber, these encounters need not be particularly intimate, sustained, or formal.

I decided to establish some New Year Resolutions. First time in a long time. Being a good neighbor made the list. For the remainder of the winter, I plan to clear the snow from my neighbor’s walkway and help with his driveway apron.

When I first moved here there were empty apts around me. Now they are filling. I need to think of a holiday greeting to leave on doorsteps, doorknobs, or (gasp) in person to say hello!

Having a new toy (snowblower) this winter provides me with the opportunity to be a good neighbor on a very local level. Like all men with a new toy, I want to play. I’ve used the new snowblower to clear not only my drive and walkway but to clear the walkway down the block to the school bus stop.

said “hi” to our neighbor across the street. She tried to converse but her dogs were overly vocal so we mutually agreed we’d talk later.

I did however rake the leaves today, so maybe keeping my yard nice is part of being a good neighbor. I subscribe to the “Broken Windows” theory of crime….that is the more unkempt your yard/neighborhood, the more it invites crime.

This hit home today, as I was reading my newspaper and saw that my previous residence, which had never known crime in or around the home, had at least two episodes in the last 2 weeks of car theft and vandalism, directly involving my former tiny street of about 10 homes. Maybe I timed the move right??

I don’t consider myself to be selfish, though I probably am. I am trying to give back to the community that I have been fortunate enough to prosper in.

I have been voluntering with a couple of the organizations that my family is involved in.

I am working on reducing my carbon footprint. Also I am trying to reduce waste in my home.

...I shoveled the walk in front of both my duplex and the neighbor’s. They’ve really helped me all year with the lawn so I really need to step it up a bit. I was just informed that salt is bad for absolutly everything, so I’m getting rid of it and going to use sand next time on our walks. Suppose I should do something nice for them for our anniversary (we’ve both been in the house for a year).

I am