Mom and Tag - Olivia Newport

Photo by Larry Mohr

My mom loves her lanai. With its chaise lounge, screened windows, and a ceiling fan, it’s great place to get lost in a book. (Or write a book, in my case, while I was there.) From her chair, Mom has a view of the yards on both sides and a couple behind her. Depending on the landscaping, she can notice what’s going on around her. The fence across the back is a bit limiting, but one neighbor has a raised deck that is more than visible from Mom’s yard.

During a recent phone call, Mom was giving me the run down on what happens in the neighborhood and joked,

“I hate it when I can’t tell what the neighbors are doing behind the fence.”

For all of our love of privacy, sometimes it works one way. We don’t want people to know what we’re doing, yet we like to be “in the know” about what others are doing. The balance between minding our own business and being aware of what’s going on around us can be elusive.

I’m glad my mother has one neighbor in particular who is glad to check in with her occasionally. As my eyes turn to my own neighborhood, I wonder what kind of neighbor I am.

• Have you ever had a terrific neighbor you were grateful for?