On the fence.

How does the saying go? Oh, yeah. Good fences make good neighbors.

My neighbor and I had new lawns put in not too terribly long ago. The grass on both sides has had its far share of trouble, and both of us have had to replace giant chunks at a time. I mean, this is Florida, after all. We're trying to grow sod and it's more than a little buggy around here.

Shortly after, my neighbor got a dog. Cute. Adorable, even. But get this: When the pup goes out to do his duty, my neighbor walks out her front door and through her grass into ours. Where the dog does numero uno. And numero dos.

Strange? Yes.

At first I thought it was a one-time deal. Maybe they'd had the yard sprayed, and she didn't want any chemicals on the little guy's paws. But as I began to take a more watchful eye (yes, between the slats of our blinds), I noticed that it was their normal day in, day out routine.

I admit; it started to annoy me. Why do it? I mean, even in our yard, she picks up behind him – which she could easily do in her own. Did she not want her grass soiled – but ours was okay?

As my blood pressure climbed, I eventually figured I had two options to this irritating (yet silly) situation. Say something or decide to let it go. Sure, confronting her might give me a temporary feeling of winning, but it also might cast a small shadow on a friendly relationship. Shrugging it off would be easy in theory – until I saw them skip over their yard for ours once again.

With no good outcome, for now, I've decided to let it go. Having a dog in our yard hurts nothing. And even though I find it so very odd, some truths probably have no business being said. The truths that come from ego, possession or pride serve no value, kindness or purpose to the speaker or the recipient. Which means they are better swept under the rug. (Or, in this case, the lawn.)


Photo credit: summitfencesupply.com