Neighborly: being good neighbor [person who lives close by to you], especially helpful, friendly, or kind
Being neighborly can be a good and a bad thing. As I begin writing this post, I’m smack in the middle of the barometer on the whole subject. Let’s see where I end up at the bottom of this post.
Seems like an easy one, right? You’re nice to the people who live next door to you. But how far do you actually take it? Do you become friends? Do you dog-sit? Do you lend items? Do you stalk? Oh, wait, that’s taking it too far.
I’m proud to say I’ve never had a combative relationship with any of my neighbors. I’ve had a few times where they bothered me a little bit with excess noise or a sour puss… but those things can be ignored or fixed with a minor conversation. Except for once. One neighbor always looked like she was miserable… and trying to be a nicer person, I said “hi, how was your day?” in the elevator. She looked at me, pulled her glasses down towards the end of her nose, smirked and said “There’s no need for us to talk.” I had never spoken to the woman before. Our apartments don’t share a common wall. And I’m extremely quiet, so I couldn’t have bothered her before. A few days later, a friend stopped by, and we all got stuck in the elevator together riding down a few floors. I admit it was childish… but when the woman stepped out of the elevator before us, I mumbled just loud enough for her to hear… “Shh… talking will send you straight to hell around here.” Ah, that’s on my board of “Moments I am Proud of.”
Historically speaking… your neighbors were people you were often very close to, related to, or at least knew enough about. Nearly 100 years ago, it was acceptable for your neighbor to complete the US Census for you when the census taker couldn’t get hold of you. And when the cops came around looking for you, your neighbor always knew where you’d be!
Today, people sometimes live in an apartment building for years, never once seeing or meeting their next door neighbor. When I lived in the suburbs, I thought that was completely nuts. How could you not see the person every day? Then I moved into the city and realized… it’s definitely possible.
As a child and teenager, I lived next door in the suburbs to my best friend. We were the same age, went to school together and played or hung out every day after school and on weekends. Everyone on the block knew one another… until slowly generations changed and people moved… then folks started talking about that new couple that moved in… and the nosy gossip started!
When I lived in the dorms in college, I knew my mates and the 2 or 3 dorm room inhabitants directly around me, but not everyone. And when I bought my first house, I made zero effort to get to know the people who lived nearby. So where do I fall on that neighborly scale?
Reasons Why I Am
- I love small town charm and knowing everyone else’s business. But they can’t know mine.
- I love being helpful in case (s)he needs to borrow a cup of sugar.
- I kinda want to know if someone creepy is living that close to try not to get on his/her bad side.
- It’s probably good someone knows what you look like in case someone else is trying to break into your place. At least there’s a chance (s)he will try to call the cops for you.
Reasons Why I Am NOT
- I live in NYC where everything is a rush. Who has time for chit-chat?
- I’m a shy and quiet person. I don’t like to be interrupted.
- I tend to get a little “that’s mine, don’t touch it” attitude every so often. I was an only child. And I don’t like border disputes! 🙂
In all seriousness though… being neighborly seems like a good thing. It can run the gamut from friendly to just a nod of acceptance. We’re all in this world together, a little gesture now and again shouldn’t kill us. And you never know who or what may come out of getting to know them a little bit.
I also think it’s a different type of neighborly when you live in the same building versus separate land and property. It’s easy to chat in an elevator with someone who lives on your floor. (REALLY, it is…) You may need to make the effort when they live 100 feet away.
How about you? Do you want to know your neighbors or would you prefer to keep some distance?
About Me & the “365 Daily Challenge”
I’m Jay. I am 40 and live in NYC. By profession, I work in technology. By passion, I work in writing. I’ve always been a reader. And now I’m a daily blogger. I decided to start my own version of the “365 Daily Challenge” where since March 13, 2017, I’ve posted a characteristic either I currently embody or one I’d like to embody in the future. 365 days of reflection to discover who I am and what I want out of life.
The goal: Knowledge. Acceptance. Understanding. Optimization. Happiness. Help. For myself. For others. And if all else fails, humor. When I’m finished in one year, I hope to have more answers about the future and what I will do with the remainder of my life. All aspects to be considered. It’s not just about a career, hobbies, residence, activities, efforts, et al. It’s meant to be a comprehensive study and reflection from an ordinary man. Not a doctor. Not a therapist. Not a friend. Not an encyclopedia full of prior research. Just pure thought, a blogged journal with true honesty.
Join the fun and read a new post each day, or check out my book reviews, TV/Film reviews or favorite vacation spots. And feel free to like, rate, comment or take the poll for each post. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
I have seen times change as you have and how friendly you are definitely depends on the situation. Usually being friendly is a good thing, even introverts can generally manage a Hello.
I am so bad about keeping to myself. In my defense though, we do not currently live in a part of the city where you spend much time with your neighbors. I am ok with that though. I don’t have to feel guilty. That lady in the elevator though.. for real?!
I know. She was a pip. I had to let that one go. Some people are either unfriendly or choose not to like you even without knowing you.
But I totally support being a little nosy. Sometimes it is a good thing to push to know people better!
And I like that you would feel guilty if you didn’t.
My students sometimes write on “Whatever Happened to Manners?” Civility is so little to ask; how hard can it be to smile at someone you approach, other than embarrassedly looking away from me, I don’t think I’ve received a negative feedback, and sometimes get a really positive one. Lynn Truss’s Talk to the Hand is a great book to read on this subject.
I am catching up on my J.C. reading today, as you may have noticed. I hope I am not overwhelming you. I don’t want to miss a single one of these posts.
I will take a look at that book; thanks for sharing it. Being civil and having manners is definitely part innate and part learned. To not feel awkward when someone stares back or doesn’t acknowledge you can have interesting impacts. It took me a while. I understand, but it’s something we all need to be better about.
As for the JC posts… oh, thank you for even paying attention. I appreciate it, but don’t ever feel like you need to read them all. Sometimes they are light and boring, and there are days where I have 6 or 7. Too much to keep up, I get it.
And responses don’t overwhelm me. I have a good routine morning to write read everything overnight, then write the new stuff, go back to check if I missed anything and get on with the day!
I’ve been skipping a few of the book reviews because I’ve already read most of the books you have read (I have simply lived longer than you have.) But, our reading “tastes” are very similar. I wouldn’t give up any of the 365 day challenges, though. At the risk of sounding like a stalker, I enjoy young people and reading about what they are thinking about and doing. My attitude toward them is “grandmotherly.”
Not a stalker at all! 🙂