That's really thinking, right there.
I'm not good at playing petty with the neighbors.
I once lived in a nice subdivision with an older retired neighbor.
One of those guys that kept his home and property above and beyond. Me, not as much. But I worked, had a kid and a life while he was retired and had the time you know?
Of course I was the worse neighbor possible in his mind. Well, because you know me.
He always liked to catch me when I'd get home from work and make comments about my grass or leaves or not parking in my garage. Just what I thought was petty at the time.
In the winter he was always the first on the cul-de-sac to get his driveway and sidewalk shoveled after an overnight snow. It irked him that I never got around to doing mine till that evening. Always the last one to get done.
Once or twice it happened on my day off and he'd have to get an early start just to make sure he was done way before me.
So one night it snowed like 4" or 6" I decided to be petty and got out there at the buttcrack of dawn so I could get done before work and beat him.
He must of heard my shovel on the concrete but not soon after he was out there doing his. I laughed but then noticed he was going double time. I had a good start on him so I busted it out and made damn sure I smoked him.
I put my stuff away grabbed my work things and headed out to the truck. He was still hard at it as I gave him a smirk and wave and left all proud of myself.
I'm sure at that point he just wanted to get done before the other neighbors figured it out.
When I got home that night I didn't see him. In fact I didn't see him the next several days. Then I finally saw his wife and she said that day while shoveling he had a heart attack or something with his heart and was in the hospital.
Man I felt bad. When he got home I helped get him in the house and settled. The rest of that winter I made sure I got his driveway shoveled every time it snowed and it didn't matter if it was before I went to work or late into the night. His always got done before mine or anyone else's.
That next summer is when I had my bike wreck. When I got home from the hospital I was wheelchair bound. The houses were raised ranch so about a dozen steps out front.
I told my buddy that brought me home to park in that guy's driveway. It was the shortest, straightest level shot to the last 3 steps into my house. Of course he immediately came out to see who was in his drive. He helped get me in my house and returned my favor by mowing my lawn the next several months.
Despite our differences and neither of us changing our ways too much we were never petty to each other again and from then till a couple 3 years later when I moved we actually became friends.
It was a good lesson to learn in the worse way.
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