“No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.” — Buddha
Happy New Year, 2022.
Promise
By Jackie Kay
Remember, the time of year
when the future appears
like a blank sheet of paper
a clean calendar, a new chance.
On thick white snow
You vow fresh footprints
then watch them go
with the wind’s hearty gust.
Fill your glass. Here’s tae us. Promises
made to be broken, made to last.
Wishing you a happy, healthy, and safe year. Cheers to new beginnings in 2022.
“And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent…” — Taylor Caldwell
“Temptations are part of life, part of growing up. We grapple with them often – in some instances for our lifetime – before we come to realize that it is not so much the victory as it is the struggle that is holy.” — Joan D. Chittister
I have always thought that being a drama free and kind person will only bring me good fortune and attract more kind people; you know, like birds of a feather flocking together. I thought I had seen pretty much all kinds of poor behaviors and various levels of wickedness, until a family moved in next door three years ago. In the past, I didn’t give them any attention, unless it had to do with disrespect. Now, they are using my home address without my consent to receive packages. They are truly neighbors from hell. These people probably asked about the neighborhood prior to buying the house. There is none like them here, none! And there are three words they never say: sorry, thank you, and please.
Early in 2018, just a few days after moving in, they introduced weed in this part of the neighborhood. A few weeks later, the husband and wife hit our roof with a metal object at the end of a rope, while attempting to cut down a dead pine tree and never apologize, so I called the Police. In 2020 their tenant threatened me in the presence of the homeowner, so I filed a report with the Police. Early this year, their oversized trampoline flew and landed halfway into our backyard fence, damaging a few wood panels (see picture here). Between the months of June and August 2021, their Pitbull jumped our six foot fence five times, we told them the third time it happened, and I called Animal Control the last time. Early in September, they had one of their four cameras pointing into our front yard and I immediately called the Police, and shortly after a Sheriff came over. In October they put up a six-foot wooden fence in their front yard, on their side of the boundary, which made us very happy, thinking that things would go back to normal. We were wrong! That fence was just the beginning of a different kind of trouble.
A package came through Prime for a female renter next door (the family rent a room or two to individuals), and she came asking for it late at night; she admitted sending the package to my address knowingly because her friend, the homeowner, told her I would give it to her. Of course, I was furious, but it was late and I didn’t want to start a fight. I gave it to her and filed a report with the Police department the following day. It appears the lady checked my mailbox as it wasn’t closed properly in the morning. Prior to filing the report, I received a second package and immediately contacted a customer representative from Amazon Prime, who confirmed that two packages where sent to my address under that name, but the name couldn’t be found in the system even though it seemed that the person was a Prime member. That made me wonder if this person had created an account using my address?! When I spoke with an officer, this is what I was told:
Approach the person and tell them not to use my address
For packages left on my property (if sent at my address), take them out of my property or out of my mailbox and place them on the street. I will not be liable if they get lost.
For mail, write on the envelop “Return to sender”, “Wrong address” or “Unknown, doesn’t live here”, and put it back in the mailbox or hand it to the mail carrier.
The second package was left on the street.
We have lived here almost fifteen years; we got along with all our neighbors and all this time, we have never received a single mail for previous owners; yet, our next door neighbors believe they can use our address as they please! The tenant next door has lived there for a year now, but suddenly, with the approval of the homeowner, uses our address. I have checked all the previous owners and tenants who lived there, and there is no one with that last name.
Today, December 20th, my husband found some mail in our mailbox, with the same last name (different first name) sent to our address. The mail is from Netspend, a prepaid debit card for personal & commercial use. This is were I think they went too far, as it involves money. It is unknown if they are committing fraud or if they are just avoiding to make payments; however, it is clear that they are committing some type of address fraud. I will be calling Netspend first thing in the morning, and then I will be going to the post office to talk to the Postal Inspector. We do not want to get involved in something illegal in the future, unbeknown to us.
Image Source: InspiringQuotes.us
I wish people could respect themselves enough and avoid unfortunate situations. If you need to use someone else’s property, just ask and don’t assume it’s okay by default. It’s illegal to open someone’s mailbox and a federal crime to open or destroy mail that is not intended for you.
My respect, love and kindness for others has always brought me luck; even though we have bad neighbors next door, we have good relationships with everyone else. As of now, the other neighbors are looking out for us, and we are very grateful. What can you do to fight address fraud?
Change your mailbox to one with a lock, if needed
Install cameras around your property
Check your credit report regularly
Go paperless
Avoid sharing your personal information
Talk to your postal inspector
“Never stop being a good person because of bad people.” — Jay Shetty
“For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Never judge a stranger by its clothes.” — Zachary Taylor
I have heard people saying that Covid-19 brings out the worst in many people. We’ve all seen it or been victimized by it. From bullying, discrimination, to racism, you name it. I personally do not think the pandemic is to be blamed; I believe many people are simply using it to reveal their true personalities, to be true to themselves. What I have noticed the most, is the filth some people live in and the filth some of those individuals impose on others.
On Tuesday for instance, I watched as a child from a parked car ahead of me dropped a water bottle out the window and the grandmother acted like it was the norm. I quickly grabbed my phone and took a picture of the bottle and the license plate. Today, I watched as the child and her father exited the car, and the child dropped a small ziploc bag next to a stop sign. The father too, acted like it was acceptable, even as he saw me.
Unless told and thought otherwise, that child will grow to behave exactly like her parents and be stuck in an endless cycle of bad behavior.
I have seen many filthy individuals and I thought I had seen it all, until a few months ago, in August. One family moved into the neighborhood a few years ago and have been working hard to make the place to their liking (trash, bad odor, weed, dead trees, an uncontrolled dog that jumped a six foot fence into our backyard multiple times, and so much more). During their first week, they introduced weed to the neighborhood and by the end of that year they gifted us mosquitos from a filthy standing water they didn’t care to drain.
At first I thought they were perhaps coming from a disassembled community and didn’t know better. One afternoon on the second week of August, I decided to close a window in the patio that I had opened earlier that morning. I saw the neighbor’s husband of his roof, looking into my property as if he was searching for something. He looked all around him and then looked into my property one more time before walking towards his chimney. From there he unzipped his pants and urinated on his chimney; you could clearly see the stream of urine running through the chimney. Thinking that I may be seeing things, I called my son, who saw it too. Once he was done, he wiped his hands on his shirt and started cleaning pine needles off his roof. I don’t know why he chose to expose himself in such a lewd manner.
“Filthy water cannot be washed.” — African Proverb
I was grossed out. How can someone defile his own property? I remembered how after each rain fall, I could smell the stench of urine, while walking in my backyard. It made no sense to me. I began thinking about the people I shook hands with in the past, the people I hired for some home repairs, the tools we borrowed from other neighbors when we just moved in, etc. I stopped shaking hands with people four years ago, opting for verbal greetings and sometimes a small bow. My kids know not to shake hands with anyone.
“Hygiene is two thirds of health.” — Lebanese Proverb
I understand that depending on our jobs, we cannot be clean at all times; however, there are things we shouldn’t do either like, shaking hands, sharing items, touching things in common surfaces (faucets, door handles, light switches, electronics, and other commonly shared things), etc. Washing our hands as soon as we can and as often as we can with soap and water, or using hand sanitizer is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.
Be cautious around everyone and always practice cleanliness.
By JM Perez
