When my neighbor wouldn’t turn off his bright floodlights at night, my husband and I needed a clever solution to keep the peace.
When the Thompsons moved in next door, they seemed friendly. My wife, Gia, and Susan, the neighbor, quickly bonded while chatting over unpacked boxes. We thought we finally had some neighbors our age to socialize with. Mark, the husband, was often away for work, while Susan stayed home and had a long list of phobias, including fear of the dark, thunderstorms, snakes, clowns, and spiders.
As time passed, Susan’s fear of the dark created an issue that affected Gia and me. Their floodlights, installed soon after they moved in, were excessively bright, like those outside prisons. Gia joked that they could probably be seen from space.
Despite our attempts to address the issue, Susan insisted she needed the lights on for safety when Mark was away. We tried thick curtains and rearranging our bedroom, but nothing helped. After a week of sleepless nights, I approached Susan, asking her to turn off the floodlights after midnight, as they shined directly into our bedroom. She explained her need for safety and refused my suggestion to install a timer.
After several attempts to reason with her and Mark, who felt similarly protective of Susan, we continued to lose sleep. Frustrated, I considered drastic measures, like unscrewing the bulbs or using a pellet gun, but Gia reminded me to stay calm. Instead, she suggested a harmless plan while she and Susan went out for nails.
The next day, I climbed a ladder and slightly unscrewed each bulb to disrupt the connection. That night, when Susan turned on the lights, they flickered and went out. Gia and I finally enjoyed peaceful sleep. Surprisingly, days turned into weeks, and the lights stayed off.
However, one day, I saw Mark fixing the bulbs again. The floodlights blazed back to life that night, and I knew I had to repeat my trick. This cycle continued for months—every time Mark tightened the bulbs, I loosened them.
Then one Saturday, as I trimmed the hedges, Mark approached me. He mentioned his floodlights kept going out, and I managed to keep a straight face while agreeing it might be due to vibrations from the street. I suggested he could leave them off, and he seemed to consider it. After that conversation, Gia and I enjoyed our peaceful, dark evenings once again.
A neighbor’s amusing response to criticism of their Halloween decorations has gone viral!
This Halloween season, Salena Webb, a mother of four from South Carolina, has shown us that kindness can shine even in the spookiest of times. A devoted Halloween fan, Salena transformed her yard into a graveyard scene filled with ghosts, pumpkins, and skeletons. However, when her neighbor approached her with a heartfelt request, she chose compassion over decor.
Her neighbor explained that his elderly father, recently diagnosed with lung cancer, found the decorations a bit too frightening, particularly the casket. Understanding the emotional weight of the situation, Salena agreed to remove it. She noted, “I didn’t want to be a reminder of what could happen if he doesn’t beat cancer.”
Salena not only took down the casket but also repurposed the skeletons with badminton rackets and moved the scarier elements to her backyard. Reflecting on her decision, she remarked, “Kindness is free, and compassion goes a long way.”
Her TikTok video showcasing this moment resonated with many, with viewers praising her for her empathy. Comments like, “Now this is what being a good neighbor is all about,” highlighted the positive impact of her gesture.
Leave a Reply