A Texas woman has told Newsweek how she was reduced to tears after her new 98-year-old neighbor paid her a visit.
Last month, Kelly McDuff and her fiance bought their first home, in the city of Richardson. She said she was “a little nervous” about the move to a new town, but a visit from her new neighbor helped ease some of those worries.
“I had just gotten home and he came and rang my doorbell a few minutes after. He must’ve seen me pull in,” she said. When she opened the door, McDuff was stunned to see the elderly man holding a beautiful chocolate cake along with a note
“It was such a sweet gesture,” she said. “He introduced himself and welcomed me to the neighborhood. He’s been in his house for 52 years and his stepdaughter now lives with him.”
The neighbor, who McDuff asked not to be named in order to protect his privacy, told her he “hopes we love it here as much as he has.”
Her elderly neighbor’s efforts had McDuff understandably welling up. “It was such a sweet interaction,” she said. Knowing that other people would “appreciate it” McDuff decided to “spread positivity” by sharing a clip of what happened to TikTok under the handle kellyann2339.
“I love it here,” she wrote alongside the footage. Viewers were quick to praise her neighbor for welcoming her with such warmth. Many felt it served as a stark contrast to the way neighbors behave today.
For many Americans, an encounter with a neighbor is one they would rather avoid.
A 2021 survey of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Homes.com found that as many as 36 percent of respondents had engaged in full-blown arguments with their neighbors while 25 percent were involved in long-running feuds with someone next door. In fact, over 40 percent said they intentionally try to avoid their neighbors wherever possible.
“That’s the generation that kept everything together like glue because they have manners,” one commenter wrote. Another said: “They don’t make neighbors like that anymore … a gem” with a third commenting: “This is what neighbors used to do for each other, that was normal.”
McDuff said she certainly remembers people going above and beyond for their neighbors when she was growing up.
“That was the norm for my family in Baton Rouge! If someone new moved in we’d bring them something. Same for funerals, etc,” she said.
However, she’s adamant that there are plenty of people out there willing to help their neighbors if called upon.
“People think it’s really rare but I honestly think there’s more people out there like that than we realize,” she said. “It’s just not recorded on video.”
Whatever the case, McDuff has already returned the favor. “I made him a lemon pie from scratch, and he ended up saying he loves lemon pie,” she said.
“We don’t have a dining table because we just moved but are planning on having them over for dinner once we’re settled.”
Just make sure the neighbor brings dessert.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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