One evening, my roommate came home from a long day at work, dropped her bag on the floor, and flopped onto the couch. With such an entrance, I had expected her to relay a story about a difficult day at work.
I was surprised when she instead said, “I just heard the coolest conversation.”
“Oh?” I asked. In my mind, I imagined the conversation had to do with the new family that just moved in a few doors down and maybe something funny their young daughter said. Our complex was sparse on children.
Nope. She surprised me again.
“One of the residents on the top floor, I heard him talking to one of the guys who lives in the apartment below him. He mentioned that he’d been playing his drums a bit late, that it probably wasn’t the best thing to do, and he apologized. The other guy said, ‘Yeah, it was a bit hard to sleep.’
“The first guy then asked what a good time to play his drums would be. The other guy responded, ‘On weeknights I try to go to bed by nine, since I have to get up early, so until eight would be good.’
“I didn't want to be obvious, so I didn't hear the rest of the conversation, but wasn’t that just so great?” my roommate asked me.
I agreed. I’ve had good neighbors and I’ve had noisy ones. I’ve lived in apartments for several years and this was the first time I’d heard of someone who was considerate enough to ask about noise levels and then figure out a compromise that worked for both parties.
As Mr. Rogers might say, 'It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.'
