I think that this trait was probably passed on through my family. I wouldn't be surprised if my other family members go through the same things as me. When I am feeling guilty I usually have trouble sleeping and taking my mind off the subject. I also am put on edge until the situation clears as my nerves are placed at Code Red alert.
So this weekend's guiltfest comes courtesy of a situation involving my dog on Friday night. Mackenzie is a Westhighland Terrier. He is a very lovable dog most of the time and I really love the little guy. But he has been known to get me in trouble from time to time. He is full of energy. As with most types of terriers that energy manifests itself into running around and barking.
So Friday was a long day. I had worked all day at school and then later at the gas station. I didn't get home until about 8:30. Poor Mac hadn't been let out of his cage to go outside for most of the day. So when I let him upstairs he was quite eager to go outside. It was a pretty nice night out so I let him out and figured he was alright to be out there for a little while.
I was pretty exhausted at that point. So I went upstairs to my room to just crash for a while. Around 9:45 I remembered about Mac and went downstairs to let him back in. I heard him barking but I didn't really think that much of it. My sister came home at about 10:15 or so and she told me that someone had left a note on our front door. Needless to say I was quite surprised by what I was about to read.
You can see Exhibit A to the right. At this point I was quite stunned. I didn't know what to think. First, the note wasn't even correct. I do not leave the dog outside when I am not home. I believe that is just cruel to the animals and yes it would be rude to the neighbors. But I was home when he was outside.
They might not have realized that because I was parked in the garage and no other cars were in the driveway until my sister came home. So other than the note being wrong it also seems to be a bit of a cowardly move. My family isn't exactly close to all of the neighbors. We get along with most of them but we never really spend time with them or know any of them that well.
What bothers me most is that they didn't have the courage to at least put their name. If they truly wanted to be neighborly they could have knocked on the door and asked to talk instead of resorting to this. I would have explained the situation and apologized to them. So instead we are left with this anonymous note and no real way to resolve the situation. It really bothers me.
I fully admit that I should have paid more close attention. But I couldn't hear his barking from my bedroom. Plus it was a Friday night, so no school or work the next day for most people. And he was only outside for a little over an hour. To me this is a minor problem that was blown completely out of proportion. Immediately the guilt began to set in. I wish I could have been able to just explain it to someone.
Because they didn't say who it was from I have spent the weekend so far wondering which neighbor it could be. All day today I have dreaded even driving by their houses in case they are outside. And every time the dog went outside today I kept hoping he wouldn't bark at all. The guilt just piles on even more to my regularly high level of anxiety. I'm sure once it blows over I will be able to find some humor in the situation. It just bothers me that it had to come to this in the first place.
I have been in a major funk lately and this didn't help the situation. Hopefully the upcoming week will be an improvement. It is my last one working at school before summer break. And then just a week after that I will be Albany bound for my annual 4th of July visit with my friend Kris. It seems every year I need that time to blow off steam more than the year before.
2 comments:
I just really hate people like your neighbors. If the barking was bothering them, what would've hurt them to ring the doorbell and say, "Hey, your dog is barking, it's annoying, can you bring him in?" Because then you would've said you didn't realize, apologized and got the dog.
People are so cowardly and yet self-righteous at the same time. It doesn't take much to POLITELY speak up without being a jerk. If this was the fifth time they had asked you and you were rude to them before, maybe, but clearly you weren't!
I totally agree. Your neighbors' passive-aggression was totally unwarranted and in fact completely RUDE on their part! Sure, it's uncomfortable to confront people, but it's ridiculous for them to be so cowardly. You should feel good about the fact that *they* suck. Here's why:
1) They typed the note. So, aside from not signing the note, they wanted to make sure you couldn't figure out whose handwriting it looked like...because they are cowardly, as you said.
2) Your dog was outside for an hour--and a reasonable hour at that. (If it were after 11, I could see a little frustration on their part.) So, your dog was either outside for less than an hour when they typed, printed, and delivered the note, or they rushed it in the half hour after you brought him in. I'm gonna guess the ratio of minutes your dog was ACTUALLY barking to the time he was outside is much lower than they're trying to have you believe.
I understand your guilt. I am the *exact* same way. However, I'm also the queen of I-wish-this-had-happened. In this case, I wish you had caught your neighbor taping the note to your front door. They would have felt like huge jerks.
So, my advice now is to be upfront with your neighbors. When you see one, don't cower in embarassment. Look them straight in the eye and say politely, "Hey, did you leave us a note the other night?" If they say no, you've eliminated someone. If they say yes, you can explain. And if they lie and say no when it was them, then there's nothing you can do because they lost their chance.
I'm stressed out just thinking about this situation. Sorry it happened!
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