I love windy days. Especially windy days in the fall when leaves rain down from trees and run down the street in unison. The air is just warm enough to hold the promise of a storm. Today was one of those wonderful windy fall days.
As much as I love the wind, I must respect its power. After defending myself against renegade leaves smacking me in the face for most of the day. I came home to hear the items on my deck moving around. Opening the sliding glass door to save my plastic watering can from flying off into oblivion, the wind blew the door so hard that it creaked in just a little bit in an unnatural way.
It wasn’t long after saving my plastic watering can that I heard a very loud noise. I peeked out my sliding door to see the wooden divider separating my deck space from my neighbor swinging as if it was a door and not a fence. We went outside to try to secure the divider with the wind still blowing so hard that I had trouble holding it. I could see it was starting to come away from the building when another gust of wind pushed it so that it completely came loose.
Thankfully, we were able to control the fall of the divider and in the process saved the lighting my neighbor had decorating her side of the divider as well as possibly her sliding glass door. It was falling against the door when we caught it to guide it down. I received several splinters and scratches from this endeavor.
After sharing this story with a friend, she said we were really good neighbors. She probably would have let it fall. When I asked her why, she said because it was hurting me.
I understand she was being supportive because she didn’t want me to be injured, but what she said got me thinking. Since the divider was only threatening inanimate objects, should I have just let it fall? I saved my neighbor from potential damage beyond the downed fence, isn’t that worth a few splinters?
I think so.
I just happened to be there at the right time. I saw it and acted. Honestly, I don’t believe I even thought about being injured. Really, I’m not sure I thought about the damages the fence could cause when it first started to fall. It wasn’t until after we were guiding it down that I thought about the property we saved.
Perhaps in this instance, bad fences made good neighbors. But mostly, we just did what we did and it worked out.
Share in the comments something you have done for a neighbor. I love hearing stories of kindness.