Today is National Good Neighbor Day. A day set aside to recognize the importance of being a good neighbor. In days gone by, neighbors often became good friends, We knew their names. We relied on them for companionship. The neighborhood kids all played together and, often enough, got married when they grew up. They helped us out in times of need. Occasionally, we'd even borrow their lawn mower...or a cup of sugar. Many TV sitcoms, since the advent of television, have been written about wonderful neighbors but the truth is, these days those kinds of neighborly relations seem lost forever. They don't have to be, however. The Huffington Post lists the five top ways we can become the kind of good neighbor we, ourselves, would like to live next to:
1. Start off on the right foot. If you're the new neighbor, go around and introduce yourself. Set a friendly tone for the future. If the old old timer, sent the new folks a "welcome to the neighborhood" note...or go stop by and say hello. help them find the local grocery store, post office, schools, shopping, banks, etc.
2. Don't be the person who exits hastily so as to not have to engage in small talk. Be friendly and and at least say hello, even if you don't have time for a conversation. It can't hurt to give a smile and a friendly to the neighbor picking up their mail.
3. Keep it down. We've all had neighbors who are loud and unruly, They're no fun to live next door to. If you live in an apartment, keep floor noise down by using small area rugs. And be respectful of noise after 9 pm. If you are planning a party, let the neighbors know ahead of time and don't let it go on all night long.
4. Remember what's outside your front door matters, too. No one likes to walk, or drive, by mounds of trash and garbage left at the curb. Keep it all together someplace out of sight, like your garage, porch, or storage building until trash day rolls around. Don't leave it there collecting rodents and flies all week.
5. An ounce of warming is worth a pound of goodwill. If your neighbors are the ones throwing the party bash, ask them, nicely to quiet down before calling the police. And when they comply, let them know you appreciate it! Exercise a little patience before blowing up at them. Kindness and understanding breeds more kindness and understanding. Someone once said, "We can pick our friends but we cannot pick our neighbors." That's why fostering a good relationship with those we share our community with is so important.
But the real meat of this blog is something far more important and far-reaching. It's about becoming a global good-neighbor. With tensions rising everywhere and threats of war being hurled by leaders, immigration issues at the forefront of the news, and everybody seemingly out for their own best interest...I thought it might be a good idea to write a little about being a good neighbor to people (and frogs) around the globe...all those lives we will never know, but can still have an impact on.
Back in the 1930's, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt brought into being something called the Good Neighbor Policy. It radically changed the way foreign policy was looked at. This policy emulated the practices of towns, communities, and neighborhoods across the United States. The gist of the Good Neighbor Policy was as simple as the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This means that personal responsibility, common sense, and human decency must be the basis for any policy that deals with our global neighbors. All these years later, The Good Neighbor Policy can still provide inspiration for a better, less militeristic approach to international relations. It can also serve as a reminder for how each of us might want to live our lives. Cuban poet, Ana Monnar, said it best; "All human beings are my neighbors. We share the same planet." I simply don't understand why the leaders of today can't figure this out. I'm only a small green frog and I get it....
Remember that being a good neighbor starts with you. Think locally, but act globally.
Be sure and use #GoodNeighborDay on all your social media. And please kind to each other.
1. Start off on the right foot. If you're the new neighbor, go around and introduce yourself. Set a friendly tone for the future. If the old old timer, sent the new folks a "welcome to the neighborhood" note...or go stop by and say hello. help them find the local grocery store, post office, schools, shopping, banks, etc.
2. Don't be the person who exits hastily so as to not have to engage in small talk. Be friendly and and at least say hello, even if you don't have time for a conversation. It can't hurt to give a smile and a friendly to the neighbor picking up their mail.
3. Keep it down. We've all had neighbors who are loud and unruly, They're no fun to live next door to. If you live in an apartment, keep floor noise down by using small area rugs. And be respectful of noise after 9 pm. If you are planning a party, let the neighbors know ahead of time and don't let it go on all night long.
4. Remember what's outside your front door matters, too. No one likes to walk, or drive, by mounds of trash and garbage left at the curb. Keep it all together someplace out of sight, like your garage, porch, or storage building until trash day rolls around. Don't leave it there collecting rodents and flies all week.
5. An ounce of warming is worth a pound of goodwill. If your neighbors are the ones throwing the party bash, ask them, nicely to quiet down before calling the police. And when they comply, let them know you appreciate it! Exercise a little patience before blowing up at them. Kindness and understanding breeds more kindness and understanding. Someone once said, "We can pick our friends but we cannot pick our neighbors." That's why fostering a good relationship with those we share our community with is so important.
But the real meat of this blog is something far more important and far-reaching. It's about becoming a global good-neighbor. With tensions rising everywhere and threats of war being hurled by leaders, immigration issues at the forefront of the news, and everybody seemingly out for their own best interest...I thought it might be a good idea to write a little about being a good neighbor to people (and frogs) around the globe...all those lives we will never know, but can still have an impact on.
Back in the 1930's, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt brought into being something called the Good Neighbor Policy. It radically changed the way foreign policy was looked at. This policy emulated the practices of towns, communities, and neighborhoods across the United States. The gist of the Good Neighbor Policy was as simple as the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This means that personal responsibility, common sense, and human decency must be the basis for any policy that deals with our global neighbors. All these years later, The Good Neighbor Policy can still provide inspiration for a better, less militeristic approach to international relations. It can also serve as a reminder for how each of us might want to live our lives. Cuban poet, Ana Monnar, said it best; "All human beings are my neighbors. We share the same planet." I simply don't understand why the leaders of today can't figure this out. I'm only a small green frog and I get it....
Remember that being a good neighbor starts with you. Think locally, but act globally.
Be sure and use #GoodNeighborDay on all your social media. And please kind to each other.
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