# The Kindness of Neighbors **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 17, 2000, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kindness-of-neighbors/46039 "2000-12-17T19:03:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2000, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kindness-of-neighbors/46039/1 "2000-12-17T19:03:46Z")
Just a few minutes ago, I heard this noise outside of my house. Sounded like a snowblower. Not an unusual noise in itself, really, because I live in a neighborhood with lots of houses close together, and we’ve been getting pummelled with the snow here. But the noise was oddly close to my own house. So I looked outside, and there was this older gentleman, snowblowing _my_ driveway, and from the looks of it, he’d also done the sidewalk and several other driveways for the whole block. I opened the door, and waved at him frantically. I managed to get his attention, and I told him that if he could come back later, I would happily give him some money (my husband isn’t home right now, and he’s got the cash at the moment). I don’t have a snowblower (or a shovel–we broke it trying to dig out earlier this week), so I was MOST appreciative of this gentleman’s efforts. He just smiled and waved me off, then moved on down the block. As I was typing this, I had a realization–I know who the gentleman is. He was all bundled up, so I didn’t get a good look at his face, but now I remember. He’s Joe, my next-door neighbor. The same guy that mowed my front lawn all summer, because our lawns are connected. I could never catch him doing it, though–he always did it when we weren’t home. What a nice, nice man. I’m going to go crochet something for Joe, and leave it on his porch, when he’s not there. ---
**Author:** ![tiggeril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tiggeril/32/7234_2.png) [@tiggeril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiggeril)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2000, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kindness-of-neighbors/46039/2 "2000-12-17T19:29:24Z")
Awww… My dad does stuff like that. The plows usually don’t come to our neighborhood for a few days after the snow, so he’ll take our tractor/snowblower and do our driveway and some of our nearby streets. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2000, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kindness-of-neighbors/46039/3 "2000-12-17T20:09:32Z")
Sort of renews your faith in humanity doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2000, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kindness-of-neighbors/46039/4 "2000-12-17T20:33:40Z")
I hope that Joe has a large, supportive family with dozens of grandchildren to play with, but if not, why don’t you invite him over for Christmas dinner? He seems like a real jewel, and I would hate to think of such a nice person being alone over the holidays. Yes, making him a gift sounds like a wonderful idea. You’re truly blessed to have him as a neighbor. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2000, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kindness-of-neighbors/46039/5 "2000-12-17T22:28:43Z")
That’s really nice of him! I haven’t lived anywhere it snows regularly since I was six, but I can imagine. Reminds me a bit of the guys who went around our neighborhood turning everybody’s gas off after the Northridge quake. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2000, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kindness-of-neighbors/46039/6 "2000-12-17T22:44:11Z")
Lissa: I don’t know if he’s got dozens of grandchildren, but I know he has a wife, and they do have kids & grandkids. They’ve even got a swingset in their backyard for them, and the family does visit frequently. Maybe that’s why he’s so nice. 😃