Neighborly

We all need neighbors. We all need to be neighborly.

I recently benefited from the kindness of a neighbor. They don't actually live next door to me, or across the street, or even in the same neighborhood. However, what they did was take a few minutes out of their day to be kind to someone else connected to them purely by the oddity that is the United States postal system. Apparently my nephew sent me a postcard as a thank-you note for Christmas presents, and while addressing it to me he left "street" off of the address. Due to this, the postcard ended up being delivered to "Lane" instead of "Street".

Some days later I received a letter. My neighbors at "Lane", instead of doing what I have done many times to mail wrongly delivered to my address — put it right back in the mailbox, "return to sender" — they sent it on to me. Doing so cost them time, and an envelope and stamp. They wrapped it in a neighborly, handwritten note. They showed kindness.

It is amazing what effect being neighborly can have. Showing kindness can spread. I know I'll do things differently when I open my mailbox to find mail that shouldn't be there. And I'll be sending a handwritten thank-you to my new neighbors.

As Mr. Rogers said,

Won't you be my neighbor?