What Happened to the Great American Neighbor? He Lives Right Next Door.

I originally wrote this four years ago, in honor of a simple yet marvelous man. He was a man I was proud to call my neighbor. Although no longer my neighbor since my move, I thought I'd honor him again, and wish my new neighbor a happy birthday today. He is also a great neighbor.

The great American neighbors are still there. We just tend to see them when either they are extraordinary, or when we start seeing ourselves as good neighbors........

You can see him at 5:30 every morning going on his daily walk around the neighborhood. Mr. "S" is minding his own business, his headphones on and walking briskly for his morning exercise, until....he sees a neighbor in need. Someone's forgotten to bring their recycling bin to the curb. He carries it down from the side of the house and then continues on his walk.

Later that morning he's mowing someone's lawn who is physically unable or is having trouble finding the time. By afternoon he's fixing a pool or at a local store picking something up for someone. In the early evening he's calling or stopping by to see if you need help working on your latest household project or if you need to borrow some tools.

By the time he goes to bed he's done more for others in the community than you and I will probably do in a month. While many people complain about growing old, this man basks in the sun of his golden years. As he was teaching my children to plant and care for the tomato plants he brought over, I raised the camera and saw something special through the lens.

I saw a man who's made the world a better place by his daily acts of kindness. I saw a man I want to emulate and for my children to be around as much as possible. I saw a man that's going to live on in spirit and in his acts of kindness and teachings long after his body has left this world.

As I took the picture I knew I had captured the human spirit at its best. A person with wisdom was sharing it with those eager to learn. They weren't teenagers with only time for what's hip and new. They weren't adults preoccupied with paying the bills and too busy to even know the names of their neighbors.

What happened to this great part of our society? When I wonder that, and not seeing that, I know it's because I'm not being that. It's a good time for reflection on how long it's been since I've done something kind for a neighbor. How long has it been since I've suspended my own rat-race long enough to go out of my way to do something in my community? How long has it been since I've had more than a thirty-second conversation with someone I see during the week?

The great American neighbors are all around us. Are we allowing them to see this in us?


Copyright © 2007 by Adam Stuart