When my wife and I began married life, we lived in an upstairs apartment. Our downstairs neighbor had a little dog named Happy. It was ironic because the pooch never seemed to be happy. The poor thing would spend all of her time barking at everything whenever she was outside. As a young adult, I thought it was quite annoying.
Four years later, my wife and I had our first child. When the baby cried, I thought of how ungracious I felt when the dog would bark. I realized a crying baby could be just as annoying to neighbors as a yapping dog.
Nearly twenty-eight years later, that same child is working from home during the quarantine in Phoenix, Arizona. He rents a room from a couple and has to do most of his work from the room because of client privacy rules. Next door, a young vocalist has been practicing. She has been robust in her vocal practice and in singing opera. It’s amazing how things come full circle.
We are living in a time where we may be more aware of our neighbors and their activities than before the quarantine. It is taking some patience and some agapé love to get us through it.
The Washington Post has a great article on ways to work with and be patient with your neighbor during the lockdown. It focuses on apartment dwellers. But considering my son’s situation, it could also apply to suburbanites.
In the end, remember to love your neighbor and show patience to them and their little quirks. If you think about it, you may have a few of your own.
