Ok, after my moment to step out on on the balcony, It is now time to return to something that has been on my mind for over one year. I know I don’t have control of other peoples actions, but somehow their actions impacted my ability to live life to the fullest since last December. One year ago I was planning a day long deep sea fishing trip with my family over Christmas. One year ago I was planning to do a day trip to golf a few new fun courses in the Panhandle. Then it all changed because we learned that non-neighborly neighbors decided to call the police instead of talking to their neighbor. My meter is still running thanks to these Karen’s so I’m really hoping they learn that building community is the only way.

Ok let’s go back to our main event where we have a Karen, picking on their neighbor over the past 12 months.

• Neighbor A has been living in their house for half-a-century.
• Neighbor A has >20 contiguous acres abutting their property.
• Neighbor A chose to add a detached garage to their home in the past two years.
  • a retired local 66 Operating Engineer who has been moving dirt since his Army Reserve days
  • likes to play with dirt bikes,
  • machinery, monster trucks,
  • hunt from their tree stand,
  • celebrate Pride month as an ally with a giant rainbow flag,
  • invests in local education by offering a scholarships,
  • invests in modern art by paiting old industrial equipment,
  • looks for ways to house homeless veterans,
  • ponder if they should develop a neighborhood park since their municipality did not believe in creating a parks and recreation system.

• Neighbor B has just moved into the neighborhood post Covid.
• 1/2 of Neighbor B grew up in a municipality that was full of zoning and building regulations.
• The other 1/2 of Neighbor B likely grew up in a housing plan with an HOA. During Covid they couldn’t find a house in either of their preferred neighborhoods so they settled on something they could afford in a suburban/rural county of their state.
• The Neighbor B is all about NIMBY, not realizing that their backyard is part of the neighborhood and the collective neighbors who have been living in the development for longer than 10 years.
  • Neighbor B does not understand a lot about life.
  • Neighbor B does not understand that they need to work on their impulse control.
  • Neighbor B may need to better understand civics and civility.

• Lead with Love.
• Practice Gratitude.
• Don’t Drink the Hater-ade.
• Look for ways to connect, build bridges not walls.
• Now channel the Chappell Roan Song Hot to Trot into a Karen carol.
  • H O T T O G O
  • K A R E N N O
  • H O T T O G O
  • K A R E N N O