A good neighbor can be worth their weight in gold. That’s because living next to someone you trust makes it easier to achieve peace of mind when you’re traveling or spending long days at the office. After all, there’s some comfort to be found in knowing that the person who lives next door (or across the street) from you will keep an eye on your home while you’re not around, even popping over to let your dog out or water your plants as needed.
However, before you can enjoy the benefits of a good neighbor, you first need to get to know your neighbors. But that isn’t always as easy as it sounds, according to one Redditor. That’s because their attempt at an introduction took a weird turn when they tried to say hello to their new neighbors.
They told their story on the r/socialskills subreddit, looking to see if their story sounded familiar to anyone else. Fortunately, the Redditors rallied around the OP and reminded them that not all interactions are going to be good ones.
Here’s what they had to say.
I Tried Greeting My New Neighbor… It Didn’t Go Well
by
u/Intelligent-Pain3296 in
socialskills
A Redditor Tried to Say Hello After Moving Into Their New House
Reddit user Intelligent-Pain3296 explained how they had just moved into a new house and headed over to introduce themselves when they noticed their neighbor unloading groceries from the car. “I walked to the end of my driveway, waved, and said, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ just to introduce myself and strike up a conversation,” they recalled.
Unfortunately, the OP’s neighbor wasn’t feeling so neighborly. “His response was, ‘Worry about yourself,’ and then he walked away,” they continued, saying that they weren’t sure how to respond. “Has anyone else had a first interaction with a neighbor go this badly?”
Fortunately, Reddit was very supportive of the OP, and quick to remind them that the neighbor may have had more going on than meets the eye.
“Important to remember in these situations that’s a them problem, not you. You can continue to be kind and warm to the world, and they are probably living in their own struggle or whatever,” one of the top-rated comments said. “Don’t let someone else change how you want to be.”
There Are Some Rules of Etiquette When It Comes to Being a Good Neighbor
While Reddit was full of good advice, Reader’s Digest actually offered up some pro tips in a 2024 article. Among the tips, one seemed particularly relevant to the OP’s issue. In it, an etiquette expert said that it’s important to make an effort to share positive exchanges with your neighbors.
“A smile, a wave, a brief exchange of pleasantries, can inspire a lot of goodwill with your neighbors,” Bonnie Tsai told the publication at the time. “It doesn’t take much and makes the neighborhood a much happier place overall.” It seems like the OP’s heart was definitely in the right place, and they were doing exactly what the experts suggest. Hopefully the OP tries to keep smiling and waving at their neighbor whenever they see them.
After enough time has passed, maybe it will even inspire the neighbor to start returning the effort.