At my former apartment I became friendly with our upstairs neighbor, Lucy. She is about the age of my parents and is absolutely delightful. We’d leave leftover desserts at her door and she’d occasionally drop by with some extra lasagna. That sort of neighbor.

One time I ran into her outside and we got into a conversation about how great it is to have good neighbors. “It’s just so convenient having someone you can borrow an egg or cup of flour from when needed,” I mentioned. Lucy added in her cheery manner, “Yes, its just like back in Lebanon when the war comes and you leave your house keys with your neighbors when you flee!” Rather taken aback I managed a,” Yah… umm, just like that!”

I appreciated having Lucy as a neighbor because if nothing else she reminded me that you should never underestimate what those around you have been through or experienced in their lives.