The chirping smoke detector at 3am is the classic story: it needs a ladder, so it just chirps for weeks. Every one of these chores takes you five minutes and takes her a phone call she doesn’t want to make. That’s most of what being a neighbor actually means.
Keep the Widow's Maintenance List
Four times a year, do the ladder-and-battery chores at an older neighbor's house — AC filters, smoke-detector batteries, the bulb in the stairwell, the furnace check reminder.
What you'll need
- Their filter size and bulb types, written in your phone
- A twice-annual pack of 9-volt batteries
- A recurring reminder on your calendar, four times a year
Pitfalls
- Put it on your calendar, not your intentions. Quarterly means scheduled.
- Buy the filters yourself and just bring them — asking her to order them re-creates the problem.
- While you're up the ladder, look around. The list grows once you're trusted with it.
Look after orphans and widows in their distress. — James 1:27