In recent weeks, a rift has developed between the United States and Canada. The alliance between the two nations goes back almost a century.
I’ve never been to Canada, nor would I want to live there. Heck, Chattanooga is too cold for me in the winter.
But I’ve never had any beef with Canada. In recent weeks we’ve been hearing a lot about maple syrup, meat, vehicles, metals and minerals we get from Canada. Some of my favorite entertainers are Canadians: Michael J. Fox, Gordon Lightfoot, Mike Myers, Jim Carrey and Neil Young.
It’s comforting to know that Canada has long been a reliable neighbor. Canada has fought alongside the U.S. in many conflicts, including World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the war in Afghanistan.
My sons have visited Canada and seemed to feel right at home. We enjoy watching the Toronto Blue Jays play the Braves in Atlanta, and we stand for two national anthems, ours and theirs.
Neighbors are important. In 1989, my wife and I moved into our current neighborhood. I had to be persuaded to move from my childhood community in rural Alabama to “the big city.” I would only agree if my wife found a home as quiet as the one we lived in, which was basically in the woods. Somehow, she did it.
We’ve been fortunate to have many of the same neighbors for 36 years. The man who lived across the street was taking care of his elderly mother when we moved in. My wife would sit with her while he ran errands, and he would do anything for us. We lost him a few years ago when he died at the age of 99, a good neighbor to the end.
Shortly after we moved in, our pilot light went out on a cold night. I was at work, and my wife was home with our two toddlers. I barely knew how to re-light it in person, and certainly couldn’t give her instructions on the phone. Another neighbor was happy to get out of bed, cross the street and heat up our home. He also happened to be our insurance agent. “Like a good neighbor,” right?
One holiday weekend, I somehow developed a stye on my eyelid. It had never happened before or since. This was pre-internet, and I wasn’t sure what to do. Every doctor’s office was closed, and it was quite painful. Yet again, a neighbor came to the rescue. My next-door neighbor is a retired ophthalmologist. I rang his doorbell, he took one look at my eye, retrieved his medical kit and eased the pain.
It pays to have neighbors who’ve “got your back.” One afternoon in the summer of 2010, I was interviewing political candidates at my TV station. When you’re in a TV studio with soundproofing and no windows, you’re pretty much sealed off from the outside world. Our receptionist interrupted the taping to tell me I had an emergency call. Thankfully, that is quite rare. A neighbor who lives on the street behind my house was calling to let me know that the big oak tree in our backyard had fallen onto our garage during a storm. I had never even met him, but he had already placed a tarp on the roof to prevent further damage. Now that’s a good neighbor.
I suppose it really does take a village. Another neighbor always alerts me when I forget to close a garage door at night, and gives me a ride to pick up my car at the repair shop. I’m glad he looks out for me.
Our newest neighbor was enjoying a leisurely stroll during the recent snow. He saw me struggling to set up a tripod and a camera timer in an effort to snap our 2025 Christmas card with my wife in our front yard. “Hold on, let me take that picture for you,” he yelled. I gladly accepted his kind offer, and the result is far better than anything I could have done.
I definitely benefit from having good relationships with my neighbors. Political leaders could do the same. If only they would.
