Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2009. Mattie was home in between hospital stays. Though it was painful for Mattie to walk, he did try taking some steps around our home with his walker. Mattie did not like a forward facing walker, somehow it made him feel like he was falling. But the reverse walker was a hit. Back then, our goal was to get Mattie walking again after treatment. Never realizing that this wasn't going to happen.
Quote of the day: You can be a good neighbor only if you have good neighbors. ~ Howard E. Koch
Yesterday Peter told me he saw staff from the DC medical examiner's office come into our building. They were taking photos and also had a body bag and gurney with them. Never what you want to see! Of course we did not know what had happened, but bad news has a way of traveling around quickly. Who died? The neighbor above me, who hated dogs. This woman and I had several major run ins with each other. In which she yelled at me and told me she was going to report me to management every time she saw me. She had an absolute fear for ALL kinds of dogs, even the little ones in our building. Imagine being scared of a docile chihuahua?
Though this neighbor and I did not get along or even see eye to eye on pets, I certainly wouldn't wish her harm. Now that I know she died (and mind you she did not look physically ill) I actually feel badly that I couldn't find a way to get along with her. As Koch's quote points out, it is easy to be a good neighbor when you are surrounded by good neighbors. Unfortunately this woman did not bring about my best traits. Which illustrates who we surround ourselves with makes a big difference in our own attitude, opinions, mood, and behavior.
The death of this neighbor truly bothers me. I am not sure it is because of our disagreement over Sunny, or because she died alone. So alone, that it wasn't until neighbors reported a bad smell coming from the apartment, that her body was found. Clearly she had no family around to check in with her. Which of course has me reflecting on my own life. My biggest fear is to land up like this lady, which could happen, since we too have no children. Caregiving responsibilities typically fall on one's children, but what happens if you lost your child to cancer? I am sure one figures out alternatives, but it isn't the same. As my neighbor's death poignantly reminds me.
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