A good neighbor is worth their weight in gold

Shortly after moving into our new home and before my husband purchased his tractor, we were struggling to control the long grass and weeds on our place. My husband did his best with our riding mower, but it took a long time. One day while my spouse was zooming around with the mower to clear our left pasture, our neighbor appeared in his tractor to mow our right pasture. He didn’t say a word. He just jumped right in and with our neighbor’s generosity the job was finished in no time. That is a good neighbor.
Within a week or two of receiving the helping hand from our next-door neighbor we received a knock on our front door. When my husband answered the door, he was surprised to see little visitors from across the road with a plate of homemade cookies in hand. The thoughtfulness of their kind gesture touched both our hearts and made us once again thankful to have such wonderful neighbors. The cookies were very tasty as well.
When folks live closely to others, being a good neighbor is important. Not only is it a display of proper manners but the building of a relationship that can be quite rewarding and long lived. After all, most of us would rather be known as a “good” neighbor, rather than considered a “grump” that doesn’t get along with anyone on the block.
 So how do we become a good neighbor or take it one step further to be dubbed a great neighbor? The truth is, being a good neighbor isn’t difficult at all. It doesn’t mean you have to bake cookies or clear pastures (although those acts of kindness are likely to be appreciated). Being a good neighbor is as simple as following the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Go ahead and exchange smiles, give a wave now and then and perhaps lend a helping hand if needed. Following the Golden Rule will make you a neighbor that is worth their weight in gold.