Hello great people within, how are you doing?
It’s so lovely to participate in this week’s activity.
First things first—who is your neighbor? Or let me put it this way: who do I consider as my neighbor? A neighbor is somebody who is ready to go the extra mile for the betterment of others. He or she sees and says something.
I know, I know—many of us have different types of neighbors. Some of them are good and some of them are not. Remember that not everyone is the same. We are not born in the same way, place, or time, but these differences make us unique.
I remember I have lived with different categories of people. Right from the days of face me I face you at Ajegunle, down to Kalesanmi, and now Mojoda—I still have neighbors. Some people say that once they have their own houses, then they are alone. Shockingly, they find themselves as landlords within communities, still surrounded by neighbors.
Neighbors have been nice. Right from the days of my first born up till now, I have benefitted from neighbors a lot. I gave birth to my first child at home, and it was a neighbor who helped me during birth. She was a nurse. She was there all through the process. My husband didn’t even know—I didn’t even call him. He came home and met his first child.
Know your neighbor. Know your neighbor. Neighbors are nice, creative, and caring. Neighbors are the first contact persons during cases of emergency. There were many times of night emergencies when people called us to help rescue lives—why? Because they knew us.
You don’t always have to start at once. The first day you get to a community, begin by saying hi. Hello, good morning. This will one day foster conversations—lengthy ones—and before you know it, you are good to go. Neighbors are friends and so much more.
This takes me back to my experience at Ajegunle. It was my neighbors who taught me how to make different delicacies. One taught me how to cook ugu and iyanapaja. Another taught me how to make akpu—and many more. Back then, we had a combined kitchen because of the way the house was structured.
Now I live in a fenced house, but I still have neighbors. During a seizure attack, my neighbors volunteered to help me get to the hospital.
Neighbors are blessings. If you have good neighbors, you won’t struggle, because they’ve always got your back.
Mistakes you should avoid as a neighbor include:
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Overusing free opportunities. Because your neighbor sees you as a neighbor doesn’t make them a permanent supplier of good deeds.
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Always appreciate. Many of us talk as if it is the duty of a volunteering neighbor to do something that is actually our own responsibility.
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Replicate the kindness. Give an equal or almost equal energy to that neighborliness. It makes them feel important and well appreciated.
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Don’t backbite. Go straight to your neighbor and ask why he or she has done something in one way or the other. This will invite peace.
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Don’t spread false rumors.
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Attend social or community meetings. This is an avenue to discuss key problems and solve them. It helps us relate better.
Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy new week! 🌸