We have a neighbor that I can only describe as a sad woman with so many issues that she has to take out her fear and sadness on others around her. A classic example of her pathetic nature is when her dog got hit by a car because of her insistence that he does not need a leash. She couldn't find the dog for several days and when the person who nursed the dog back to health found her to return the dog, she wanted to sue the person for stealing her dog. This is the mentality with which our entire small neighborhood has to deal with.
Recently, she decided that renovation work in our apartment was killing the plants. There were some wood chips on the plants and she started complaining. She said that she planted and takes care of these plants. Not once have I seen her water or care for anything around our neighborhood ... but suddenly, HER plants were being ruined. I can only get angry. I can only seem to want to curse this woman to her face. I know the right thing to do is to pity her and just let it go. But for the grace of God, I would be as sick as she is. What am I to do? None of the people around here likes her very much, yet no one says or does anything to halt her antics. Is it a Polish culture thing? Do POles have the wonderful ability to just let it be?
My American mentality demands I approach her. My kinder nature tells me to leave it alone and just allow her to be miserable. I think if my Black friends in the states and there is no doubt in my moind she would have been cussed out by now or even worse.
This lady brings out the worse kind of anger in me. Perhaps I need to look at what is inside me that is causing this. As of right now, I cannot approach her without something terrible coming out of my mouth. So, I will practice restraint of tongue ... and do a lot of prayer that she doesn't get hit by a bus.
Joel I can only say with some of the antics of some Black Women lately in America, I think this woman you speak of would have experienced something far worst than getting cursed out.
ReplyDelete"Do POles have the wonderful ability to just let it be?"
ReplyDeleteThere used to be neighbours like that lady in every place in Warsaw I lived. Generally, I do think we just let them be. If you approached her what would it change? I think the Polish idea of cohabitation is that everyone lives the way they like as long as it doesn't infringe on the right of their neighbours to live as they like. So unless she makes things really difficult for you, you just let her be. If she crosses the line then you go to battle.
We do, however, laugh at our neighbours, which helps relax the tension.