My husband and I moved to Sturgeon Bay four years ago after spending 23 years in Sister Bay. There is one neighbor right next to us. We are “neighbors” to each other. He has helped us and we have helped him, as any neighbor would. I still work full time at Sister Bay, but I rarely see him.
Yesterday I ate some fish that he seemed to like, so we headed next door. He immediately invited me in. He offered me coffee. We talked about our garden. Then he started talking very enthusiastically and furiously about politics.
I couldn’t find anything to agree with him on. After a few more political statements, I decided to listen quietly. I looked at him and listened intently. I haven’t found anything to agree with him yet.
After a moment, he looked at me incredulously. I didn’t say anything. I saw his eyes soften, and he said, “And I have the best neighbors.” He grinned. We agreed on this.
In that moment, we reaffirmed our respect for each other’s humanity. He handed me two large tomatoes from his garden. as I started walking towards the house. I turned to him. “When I need help, I can count on you, okay?”
“Of course,” he answered. “We’ve done it once before, and we’ll do it again.” I thanked him and said we had his help.
There must be an adult in the room. Only one candidate will win the November election. Half of us will be excited and half of us will be distraught, but we still need our neighbors.
Teresa Evans
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin