I love my neighborhood, but I do bitch about it quite a bit. It's mostly a select few who give the whole 'hood a bad rep, but the bitching still ensues. So in the spirit of the season, you know- all of that "be nice and forgive people" stuff- I thought I would share a positive story about my neighborhood.
At the end of the street, an elderly woman, V, lived alone. She had lived there for many years- first with her husband, and then by herself after he passed. She never asked for, nor would she accept, anyone's help after her husband died. Despite her obvious limitations as a frail 80-something year old woman, she did her own yard work, took out the trash, and everything else that comes with maintaining a house. She wasn't completely alone, however; she had adopted a large dog soon after she became a widow. The dog was her best friend, her protector, and her constant companion.
V passed away last weekend. She had no family, so the police took her trusty companion to the pound. V's neighbor, having come home Sunday night from a weekend away, sprung into action. She located the dog and went down to the pound to rescue her, intending on fostering the dog until she could be given a permanent home. Unfortunately, the pound would not release the dog to her, as a rescue group had already placed a hold on her.
This is clearly not one of those fuzzy feel good stories that Hollywood makes movies out of, but the fact that V's neighbor cared enough to spare the dog its demise at the pound- even though she already has three dogs of her own- reminds me why I love this neighborhood so much. Every neighborhood has a collection of token assholes, but they don't all have the generous, kind-hearted people to balance it out. We do, and that makes me happy.
2 months ago
