Earlier today, my neighbor came by and handed my wife a check to cover half of the costs of getting our fence repaired.
That was totally unexpected and certainly appreciated. Why? Because our neighbor's tree got blown down when the remnants of Hurricane Ike were passing through central Arkansas. The tree made a mess of our chain link fence and destroyed a couple of sections of our privacy fence.
Our neighbor's insurance carrier, State Farm, paid to remove the tree but wouldn't pay to repair our fence (act of God and all that). We've got a $1,000 deductible with our insurance carrier, so I didn't bother filing a claim as it costs less that that to repair our fence.
Besides, our insurance carrier is Allstate, and that company is horrible. It's more like a collection agency than an insurer, so I try to avoid them whenever I can. How did we wind up with Allstate? That's a story that takes too long to explain.
I could have taken my neighbor to small claims court to force them to pay for our fence, but I hate the legal system more than I hate Allstate. I practiced law for four years and learned to detest lawyers, and what's a judge but a lawyer who carries a gavel and can send you to jail for not doing what he says?
So, I decided to go ahead and pay for the repairs. They needed to be made, after all, and two of my dogs have been on 20-foot leads since shortly after the tree fell -- the little rascals just won't stay in the fence. That's sad, watching the poor pups on leashes and all.
The fence guy was over today and my neighbor came by, asked my wife how much the repairs cost then wrote her a check. That was a classy move and one that caught me by surprise.
How many people go out of their way to do the right thing these days?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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11 comments:
Hooray for USA there is still a few good people out there.
I would be shocked too. People doing the right thing is very rare today. I applaud that neighbor of yours.
Not too many brother. Good post, it shows that good ol' American neighborly spirit still exists.
I like reading stories like this!
That was really nice. Lots of times you can find good folks out there (you just have to look really hard)
How's the old saying, "Good fences make good neighbors". Now you can say, "Good neighbors make good fences." Still some people being kind and decent in America, imagine that.Keep hope alive!
Nicely done on your neighbor's part.
I guarantee my $&!^head neighbor wouldn't have done that.
What a nice story, it's rare to actually hear someone doing the right thing!
A lesson both insurance companies could definitely learn.
I don't know which is worse, lawyers or insurance companies.
What do you have when there are 5,000 lawyers under the sea?
A good start.
And thanks for the heart warming story about your good neighbor. Reader's Digest could not have done any better!
Hey, Hawg, let me tell you why your neighbor did that good deed. It was because you and your family are the good neighbors, and your neighbor realized that. From your nighbor's perspective it wa certainly no surprise to do the right thing. Good people attract good people. Give yourself some credit.
Great story, thanks for sharing!
anonymous -- There are, indeed. Nice to be reminded of that from time to time, huh?
imitationangel -- I'm applauding, as well. The people here in my hometown can surprise you often.
americanangle -- It does exist, indeed!
lux -- Heh. I like writing stories like this!
lala -- Sadly, that's all too true.
lawrence -- Great slogan!
gumbythecat -- I misjudged my neighbor, seemingly. I thought he was horrible because his wife is so rotten. Guess I was wrong.
Paul -- Good joke, and lawyers are worse.
matt -- Awww, shucks!
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