I have a very gracious neighbor who has no love for his daffodils. He allows my six and three year olds to pick them at will. Since my little girls love to pick flowers, he is a favorite neighbor. His ex-wife planted the flowers and he is hardly around to care for them. He is not one to do much more than mow his lawn. Besides that, he is a very nice man who has always been generous and thoughtful. He allows my son to extend the playing distance of our lawn by adding on his. He never minds if the kids cut through his backyard. Once he heard a bookcase fall inside my house and rushed over to see if everyone was okay. He is what a neighbor should be.
I have another very gracious neighbor who loves her flowers. She allowed one of my girls to help her plant the flowers in her front lawn. She always makes the kids feel special by talking to them and offers a real listening ear. She genuinely cares for those around her including her neighbors. She once politely told the kids to not pick flowers people plant. As I tell them all the time.
This brings me to another neighbor. She is meticulous. She is an elderly woman who keeps every aspect of her home in order. I admire her dedication to her home. I admire her energy and purpose in her actions. She inspires me to ward off feelings of laziness. She is the type of woman you would never want to get a glimpse of your messy home. No, she is not the type that secretly has a messy home. She is the real deal. She also does not want anyone disturbing her property much less pick her flowers.
One day, my daughter picked her flowers. She was not home at the time but as soon as she pulled in driveway she must have noticed they were missing. She immediately walked over to my house since my kids were the only kids outside. She sternly told my son that my daughter should not have picked her flowers. So, my daughter will give her a gift of potted tulips and a picture she drew as an apology.
What would you do?