Like a good neighbor?

Whatever happened to good neighbors? State farm used to have the motto "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there." Well, not one of my neighbors bothered to come out tonight when I was screaming for help, so I can only hope that State Farm would be a better neighbor than the ones I have.

I'd like to also say that I have tried my best to be a good neighbor, and to try to bring back a feeling of community to the place I live. This Christmas, my 3 year old and I went around door to door, delivering Christmas goodies I made. When new neighbors come, I always go to their house with cookies to welcome them to the neighborhood. These same neighbors ignored me tonight.

It was snowy and icy out tonight. My husband and I were coming home from his brother's house and we stopped at the top of the hill we live at the bottom of so we could get out of the truck and see what the road looked like before we started down. When we got out, the truck began to slide down the hill, with my two children inside. They were still in their seats and probably would have been fine even if the truck had gone all the way to the bottom of the hill, but when you see that happening, all you can think about is that something bad might happen. I've seen two cars in the six years I've lived here crash into the trees and creek at the bottom of the dead end in better weather. As the truck was sliding down the hill, I screamed, just as many people might do. I screamed loudly, several times. The truck swung around and stopped in a neighbor's yard. No one came outside, but I noticed lights come on. When my husband went to knock on their door to talk to them because he thought the truck may have hit a car parked in their yard, they turned the light off. Later, they claimed to have heard nothing. Somehow I don't believe them.

When I was out delivering the Christmas goodies I had made for my neighbors, I noticed that for the most part, they all seemed bewildered. One lady asked me who I was. It's really sad that people don't know or care to know their neighbors any more. At least there is one family up the street who are good neighbors. They are both from the area and are very nice. They invited me in when I came with my Christmas treats. The wife brought me a thank you note for the casserole I brought them when she had a baby last spring. I notice that people from the south seem to appreciate kindness. It's part of the charm of this region and it's appreciated by people who've grown up with it. It's just too bad that kindness and good neighbors seem to be going the way of the dinosaur.