Throw Another Log on the Fire

It looks as if our woodpile is shrinking. And because we almost never have fires anymore I automatically assumed our neighbors are stealing wood from us. 

I am insane. 

The neighbors aren't stealing anything. That doesn't mean we think the neighbors are "ideal". At times their parking choices make it tough on our mail carriers and their dog barks too early or too late and, despite gestures we've made, they're not particularly friendly toward us. I'm sure if you had a conversation about us with them they'd also have complaints. But the point is, the problems we have are minor. Insignificant. Despite this, when we think about our new neighbors, we often think about how much we miss our old neighbors. 

This is dumb. I'm ashamed of how easily I can conjure thoughts of my neighbors dancing around our burning logs and laughing about how much they hate us and how they're going to burn our ugly patio furniture next (I kind of wish that last part was real). 

Truth is, it's not the imagined wood theft that really bothers me. It's the fact that there are people living next to me that don't particularly like me. I'm going to stop typing for a second and reflect on how egocentric that thought is. . .  Okay - I'm back. I feel bad that I have allowed myself to slightly demonize good people primarily because I'm convinced they're doing the same thing to us.

And I don't even know their names. 

The reality is I'm pretty sure they don't spend a lot of time thinking about us and it's clear we don't spend a lot of time thinking about them (until the dog barks at 6:00 a.m. on a Sunday or we irrationally accuse them of trespasses that never really happened). 

If I was a decent person, the next paragraph would describe my plan to better communicate with our neighbors. I'd outline a few simple ways we could make an effort to get to know them and allow them to see we're nice and helpful neighbors (like we've done in the past). 

I'd relearn what their names are.

After that, I'd provide some bromide about how the world could be a better place if we'd all make an effort to reach out and get to know one another just a little bit better. 

Instead, I'm thinking of moving our motion-activated camera to the side of the house that has the woodpile.