Since there is a bit of a pause between the correspondence of the apartment management and myself (it's been busy - I haven't given them my latest letter yet), I decided to post my reply to an anonymous commenter from the last post. In order to fully understand this reply, please see his/her comment here.
And, Anonymous, please know that I did enjoy your comment and coming up with this post. If we all agreed with each other, the concept of blogs would never have gotten off the ground. So with that in mind, please don't take offense to the following:
Anonymous –
Thank you for adding some dimension to this little discussion. You've made my day, or at least my children's naptime, at little more interesting.
Yes, someone must have a problem with my laundry, be it a neighbor or management themselves. And yes, that is the origin of this whole ordeal. And yes, I might have lost sight of that amidst the fun I have had with my letters.
However...
I would like to think I have more of a right as to how I do my laundry than a passerby with overly strong opinions. And if they cannot prove to me that I signed a lease restricting my laundry rights, then I see no reason to stop.
I agree whole-heartedly with Jes and would like to you take a deep breath and realize that you own your lawn and your house. Your neighbors own theirs. You are responsible for yours; and they for theirs. You cannot make the whole world align with your preferences, so rather than to keep trying and end up with an ulcer, I'd like you to just let go, relax, and understand that others have their own lives, their own reasons, and their own preferences. One neighbor parking a company truck in his own driveway and another using his ingenuity to fix his own car in his own yard is no reason to be irritated. Yards were not invented to merely look pretty. They serve whatever purpose the owner of the land chooses for them. And believe it or not, driveways were invented to park cars, vans, and even company trucks.
So please don't be disturbed by my "blatant disregard for the feelings of [my] neighbors". I care for my neighbors and I respect their opinions. But I will not bend over backwards to satisfy them. I have my own preferences, too, you know. I would rather they not store propane tanks so close to me and my family. And I would prefer they not smoke so close to said propane tanks. Especially on windy days when their secondhand smoke flows downwind onto my balcony, into my apartment, and yes, even onto my freshly laundered clothes on the line.
5 comments:
There is a hugh difference between being sloppy/dirty/dangerous 24/7/365, and creating a (disorganized?) mess temporarily in order to fullfill a higher goal.
Many good points are coming to light here and being tactfully addressed.
Three cheers for Beth's blog!!
-GMOM
Obviously, I agree with you and think it's fine that you're drying your laundry on your balcony. When I have a house, I hope to do the same thing. Here's another way to look at it, though:
What Anonymous Might Be Saying: Your 'right' isn't always the point. Of course you have the 'right' to hang your laundry in a beautiful manner on your balcony. You've pointed that out in the lease, etc. Everyone has the 'right' to free speech, ugly clothes, and the rest.
But what does Jesus say about our rights? "And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." It is my RIGHT to keep my tunic, so why would I give a guy my tunic AND my cloak? It is my RIGHT not to be forced to walk anywhere with anyone, so why would I walk an extra mile out of my way? Because Jesus calls us to live in this upside-down kingdom. It may be my RIGHT to hang my clean laundry where I please, but if instead dry my laundry indoors and put pots of flowers on my balcony (and on the balcony of the one who complained!) I will be fulfilling my duty in this upside-down kingdom.
Just a thought :) Perhaps a way deeper thought than the issue deserves. But that's what I'm good at.
Joanna,
You have clarified it better than I did. I'm glad that noone took my comment as an attack (because it was not meant that way).
Beth,
Thank you for your response. I understand that you do not want to live your life based upon the opinions of others. However, just as bird seed on your porch from your upstairs neighbor's bird feeder bothers you, so might laundry on the line bother someone else who may have a very nice view from their window. Compliance and understanding of others feelings is essential when you choose to live in an apartment community.
Perhaps I am a bit uptight about the work truck in my neighbors driveway, but a car up on bricks in their front yard is a bit much. The city I live in has an ordinance against non-running cars being parked in yards or in driveways in plain sight of neighbors---because it is an eyesore.
I guess I should just quiet myself now. Much thanks to joanna for her clarification!
Oooh, ouch... Joanna... why'd you have to go and point that out? Now my conscience is buggin' me. But I'm still not settled. Very unsettled. You can't please everyone... but do you do what everyone asks anyways? Is it the Christian way to be a pushover? I've got this strong sense of injustice being done to me... should I just get used to it?
And it's more than just my rights vs. theirs. I'm not just hanging my laundry out there to annoy people. The drying time is so much less! I can do laundry in the morning and actually put it away before I go to bed! Or if I'm washing sheets... use them before I go to bed (and I've only got one set of sheets)! And it takes the stains out of my cloth diapers so nicely... my incandescent bulbs will NOT do that.
Do I give that all up for an overly opinionated person I've never met?
[And, Anonymous, permanently storing a rusty car up on blocks in a person's front yard is an eyesore - I agree! And I'm glad you didn't take offense to my letter to you. I enjoy your comments!]
P.S. I also wanted to add that while the birdseed on my balcony does annoy me, I have never questioned my neighbor's right to have a birdfeeder. I have even gone so far as to put myself in their shoes and imagine the gorgeous birds they must be able to observe from their living room. They have a reason for and a right to have their birdfeeder.
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