Today I’m grateful for a neighbor, caught in the act.

11.25.2023

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I pulled out of my driveway at 9:51 a.m. I’m usually a pretty prompt person, but this morning I was totally running late. I had a 10:00 hair appointment about 15 minutes away from home.

As I straightened my car to head down the street, I noticed two things. I had a package sitting on my doormat, and my garbage can was still out on the curb after yesterday’s trash pick-up. Ooops. I was already running late, so I didn’t stop to take care of either of these things. I’d be home early afternoon and my package and garbage can would have to wait.

Fast forward about 45 minutes, and as I was sitting in the chair at the salon waiting for my color to process, I got a Ring notification that there was motion at my front door. My first thought was, “Oh crap, someone better not be stealing my package!” When I clicked on the app to see the video, up popped an image of a man at my door holding my package! Noooooooo!

I went back about 30 seconds on the video so I could see the whole thing. The man on the video was actually my neighbor. I hadn’t recognized him at first. But as I rewatched the video, I saw him walk from his yard to mine. He then pulled my garbage can from its spot on the curb and put it over on the side of my garage where it belongs. And then, this sweet neighbor came to my doorstep, grabbed my package and tucked it safely behind a pillar so it couldn’t be seen from the street.

My first reaction was so wrong. He was not stealing from me. Rather, he was helping make sure that no one else did.

While this alone is quite extraordinary, I think the part of this whole thing that is the most remarkable to me is that I don’t really know my neighbor. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I’m kind of a bad neighbor. Not in the ‘loud music at all hours’ kind of a way, but moreso in the ‘drive straight into my garage and close the garage door’ kind of a way. I’m a neighborhood loner. I will wave and offer a quick one-liner about the weather if I happen to be out at the mailbox at the same time as one of my neighbors, but for the most part I just keep to myself.

This man I caught helping me on my Ring camera … well, I’m not even sure of his name. I’ve lived next door to him for years. I’m pretty sure at one point I knew it. I think it's a short name, and I’m pretty sure it's a common one. Mike, maybe? Or Steve? Dave? Mark? I really don’t know, and I feel pretty terribly that I don’t. But whatever his name is, he was looking out for me – a neighbor he hardly knows. My house clearly looked like no one was home, what with the trash can left out and the package at the door. And he went out of his way to be a good neighbor and make my house look less enticing to a potential passerby with less than good intentions.

Today I’m thankful that my package wasn’t stolen. I’m thankful for my neighbor, Mike/Steve/Dave/Mark/What’s-His-Name. I’m thankful for his kindness, despite my lack of neighborliness. And I’m grateful I caught his good deed on camera, as it is a prompting to me to commit to improving my neighborly relationships. Clearly, I have good people next door to me. I should, at the very least, learn their names.