We are used to receiving gifts for big holidays: from relatives, friends, colleagues. But what if you are given it for no particular reason, and by those from whom you do not expect it? We are sure: it is doubly pleasant!
An unusual story happened in Sydney: a woman received a sweet gift from a couple living next door after they had a baby. Deciding to apologize in advance for the likely discomfort that the new tenant might cause, the young parents wrote a note on behalf of the newborn.
It said: “Dear neighbor! I’m only six weeks old. I live with my mom and dad who call me Peanut. I’m a very happy kid and love to play, but I get cranky too quickly when I’m hungry (after all, who doesn’t?).” To make amends, Peanuts, or rather his parents, gave the woman earplugs and chocolates: “Please take my chocolate. I’m sorry if I wake you up at night. See you!”
The gift turned out to be pleasant not only because of its presentation (who else would have guessed to formulate it that way?), but also because of the attention of young parents who did not wait for possible questions or complaints and apologized in advance. However, as the woman noted, the new neighbor did not cause any discomfort to her: “The baby is an angel, we almost didn’t hear anything.”
Such a gift is difficult to accept without a response, and the woman, touched by the couple’s gesture, really wanted to give something nice in return. But I couldn’t decide what to buy. She talked about this in a post on Facebook, which received a lot of comments.
One commenter said: “This is the cutest thing I’ve ever read. Maybe you should bring mom and dad flowers to congratulate them?” Another added: “I would give them a thank you note, congratulations and my phone number so they can contact me if they need any help.”
Among the good ideas was this: “Maybe give a coupon for coffee at a local cafe? Peanuts can pass it on to his parents to make it easier for them to endure his nightly adventures. Or a good thermos for a drink.
Most suggested responding in the language of gastronomy and treating the neighbors with food in response to chocolate/“Bring them homemade food,” one woman noted. And another added: “Cook the lasagna! Everyone loves lasagna.”
Relations with neighbors are different: most often they are limited to greetings, but sometimes there is a place for quarrels. Meanwhile, these people play an important role in our lives – they are the closest, if we urgently need help, ours also partly depends on their lifestyle (for example, whether we will get enough sleep). Therefore, it is so important to try to find a common language and, like Peanuts, to be able to nullify a possible conflict long before it occurs.