We went for our typical walk this evening — a route that wanders primarily through the neighborhood on the other side of the main-ish street off of which several neighborhoods spiral. As we walked by a house, a man came up to us saying that he’d been meaning to meet us several times he’s seen us go by. It seems he’s quite the border collie fan and has noticed our cute pup as we walk by. We got to talking and talk turned to corona. He pointed to a sign in his yard — not quite like the sign at right but the same general idea — and said, “I guess it’s obvious where I stand.”
I glanced over at the sign in his neighbor’s yard. I found myself wondering how they get along. I know for a fact that my views are more liberal than our neighbors’ views, but I tend not to talk about politics with them. When the topic does come up, I might make a non-committal comment every now and then, but by and large, I keep my views to myself.
It’s not that I think they’ll be angered that I have different views than they hold. It’s not that I fear damaging the relationship we have (though I wonder if they might not think less of me were they to know what I think of our president). I just don’t see the point in adding politics into a relationship like that.
It reminds me of Frost’s line, “Good fences make good neighbors,” and while I don’t necessarily agree with the sentiment, I would say good fences make great backyards. As do swings, hammocks, trampolines, dogs, and tennis balls.
