A neighbor who lives down the street is an avid walker (and a mensch). He takes many walks around the block while stopping to check in with neighbors, chat with other walkers and to help out like put away peoples cash bins or blow the leaves off someones driveway. He’s a smart man. Our conversations span neighborhood happenings, to technology, to home repair, to weather and more. A few weeks ago, right after I made the decision to put Snickers down, I ran into him. He asked how I was doing and I replied, “Not well.” Then I told him that I had scheduled Snickers to be put to sleep in a few days. He kindly offered his condolences and we parted ways a few moments later.
The next day, another neighbor waited outside to catch me walking Snickers around the block. She said she’d heard about her and wanted to offer me her sympathies. She knelt down and gently petted Snickers while we spoke. A few days later, she stopped me on the street to give me a bag with a few freshly picked peaches from South Carolina and ask how I was doing.
Another evening that week, I ran into a neighbor who I usually wave to from across the street (while my dogs bark at her dog). She had put her dog inside and waited for me to make my way up the street so she could ask how I was doing. She had heard about Snickers from our neighbor. She spoke to me about losing her cat many years ago and how bonded we become to our pets.
Two other neighbors gave me cards with heartfelt, thoughtful notes.
Over the years, I’ve gotten to know these neighbors a little. All them are genuinely good people. Even though I know them mostly from casual conversations as we’re passing by each other, each went out of their to offer me a little bit of kindness during a rough time.
They’ll never know how much their kindness helped me. I’m lucky to have such good neighbors.