Having Good Neighbors Beats Having Relatives Who are Kind to You Far Away

Translated…

From before, there was a saying, “Distant Relatives are Not as Helpful as Nearby Neighbors”, this may be the case, in those simpler places, but for those of us in the city, not saying about the neighbors helping one another out, sometimes, we’d lived in a place for three to five years, and still not know what our neighbors looked like, how many members are in the family, and there are, many cases where the neighbors got on one another’s bad sides because of pets, parking spaces, in order to have great neighbors, you must have the good luck, as well as the good karma too.

not my photograph…

I am among those blessed with the good luck and good karma.  At first, we’d, bumped into each other in the elevators, and giving one another acquainted nods every now and then; later on, we’d chit-chat for awhile, carry on in casual conversations with each other from time to time; and, after awhile, when I’d gotten out the door a bit later, I’d heard her holler out at me, “Quickly, the elevator’s here!”, and seeing me, carrying my trash, she’d taken it from me, and stuffed some candies, cookies, or fruits, telling me, “Go, get to work, I’ll take your trash out for you, don’t be late for work!”, like it was, a matter of fact, that I’d not have the opportunity, to turn her down.

To tell the truth, although working in the sales department, I’d come in contact with a lot of people every single day, but, privately, I’m someone who’s very shy, too quiet, with my guards up all the time, toward this sort of passionate friendship, other than not knowing how to react, I’d also become, somewhat, objective to it, “We’re not related, why are you so nice to me?  What is your intention?”, and still, with the passing of time, she’d still treated me the exact same way as she’d done on that very day when she’d held the elevators for me, and, I’d started to believe, that she had the most simple heart of kindness, “The kids are all grown, it’s just the two of us older folks, we can’t finish everything up, so, we’d, given them out to the neighbors, while the items are still very fresh.”

And so, for the rice gruel balls, the Dragon Boat Festivities, the barbeque at Mid-Autumn………every single holiday occasion, when the nostalgia from missing the family, she’d kept me in her mind.  And, had I not excused myself on purpose, I’d probably, gotten invited over to her place, to join in her and her husband’s New Year’s Eve meal, to welcome in the New Year’s!

not my painting still…

And so, this, is the kindness from one’s neighbors, and, the woman finally became, more opened, more receptive, to her neighbor’s show of kindness, and, she wasn’t as receptive, probably because of how her past experiences with other people had affected her, but the kindness from her neighbor had, changed her mind, about how people may be kind, with NO alternative motives at all!