Love Your Neighbor
It was a hot day, but Dave knew it had to be done. He had promised his son that he would put up a basketball goal, and today was the day Dave had reserved for doing it. Best to get at it.
Dave figured out exactly where he needed to dig the hole for the post. He started digging with a pick and soon found out how little effort it would take today to work up a sweat. He waved at an old retired fellow going by in a pickup.
As he continued digging, now with a shovel, he paused a couple more times to wave at neighbors, who waved to him as they drove slowly by. This was really going to be work. Dave's t-shirt showed dark patches where perspiration had soaked through from the skin side.
About half deep enough now, he continued the hole with a post-hole digger. It was a little annoying to notice that a few people had gathered across the street, maybe to chat, burt more likely to watch a young father do a bit of manual labor. Was this the biggest show in town?
Finally, Dave had the hole deep enough. He took the pick, shovel and digger back to the garage. With a great amount of effort, he dragged the sixteen-foot post back to the hole and contemplated what it would take to get it upright in the hole.
Across the street, half a dozen bystanders glanced in his direction. Dave looked at them. He shouted, "HEY! How about somebody giving me a hand?"
The watchers exchanged puzzled looks. And in answer to his request, they began to enthusiatically applaud.
Sometimes helping our neighbor goes beyond just encouraging.
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