Hey there,

Don’t we all have that neighbor who lives on the corner? Or the 1st floor of the apartment right by the entryway. The one who is always doing weird stuff and you kind of question their sanity? They come outside in their bathrobe to let the dogs out and maybe sometimes talks to themselves a little bit? You’re not really sure what they’re up to, but you’re sure it’s something. Or maybe it’s nothing, who knows? But they always seem to be just a little bit cooky; am I right or am I right?

Well I’ll tell you right now that I live in that corner house. Need I say more? It’s the house that people walk by every day with their dogs and their kids. The house everyone sees and knows, especially because it’s kind of a weird color. Look, I didn’t choose it. It’s the way it came, and have you seen those prices out there? Caring about the paint color on the exterior of my house is not at the top of my priority list. Now talk to me about interior paint and that priority list looks a little different. But anyway, my family and I moved into our house in mid-2025. The people who lived here prior were not fond of yardwork; so needless to say, we had our (yard)work cut out for us last summer. People passing by on their walks would stop and say things like, “it looks great,” and “wow, what a difference!” It felt really good to get some instant recognition for our hard work and kudos from our new neighbors. But being the corner house also means your house is the one that gets the most traffic and people definitely pay attention to it. They notice it. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because I have nothing to hide and we’re just a quiet little suburban family. Well, except Brody (chiweenie boi I mentioned in a previous post). He has a piercing bark sometimes and he gets a little mouthy. So I’m sure we’re known as the lesbian couple who live on the corner in that weird colored house with the cute little girl and little yippy dog. I’ll take it. Although we’ve recently added a little orange cat to the family who likes to hang outside with us and listens like a dog, so that adds an element too I think. Anyway…

The elementary school is just around the corner from our corner (ha!). So, the only way to get there from the rest of the neighborhood is by passing by our house (unless you want to walk all the way around to the other street onto the busy road and back up). It is kind of fun to see all the kids on their bikes, scooters, etc.. and having fun with their friends. It brings back memories of being the age of an elementary school kid. Back before you knew all the evils of the world or had any type of responsibility. And back before you followed the rules about not walking through people’s dang yards. Maybe you know where this is going?

I had a best friend growing up and we lived in the same trailer park (before I moved 10 more times). But my grandma lived there and our parents were good friends so I still got to see him a lot. We were always up to something. And a lot of that something involved running through people’s yards and intruding on spaces that didn’t belong to us. Trailer parks generally have rows of back to back trailers, so it’s almost like a fun little path between the trailers to run through. Not necessarily people’s yards, but definitely not meant for kids to just frolic through and play. If you were ever a trailer park kid, you know exactly what I’m talking about. I do have a very specific memory though that not only included intruding on someone’s space, but also on their time and sanity. We had one old lady in particular who we used to ding-dong ditch All. The. Time. We were terrible. We got the reaction we wanted every single time. She would FREAK OUT and yell before slamming her door shut. Gone are the days of ding-dong ditch though, am I right?? Dang Ring cameras! Kids can’t have their fun any longer. I do also remember a few neighbors from this trailer park who obviously didn’t like kids and they were the “get off my lawn” type. And God forbid a ball or frisbee landed in their yard. So, anyway… That was a little background about how I used to cut through yards as a kid, and it might just be the kind of thing kids do.

So, living in our new house on the corner, you start to notice all the kids on their way to and from school. These kids in the neighborhood cut through my yard on their way to school! I suppose it’s a good shortcut to avoid going all the way around the curve of the street. And guess what? The first time I saw a little boy do it I was LIVID. I didn’t do anything about it, but I silently watched him walk across the yard to the other side of the street wondering “What is wrong with him? This isn’t his yard. Why does he think he can just do that?” I was obsessing over it and couldn’t stop thinking about it. This particular boy kept doing it day after day. I would see him traipsing through my yard as if it was his normal morning routine. Which it definitely is by the way. Just like it’s become a part of my morning routine to watch out the window and seethe. Then I started to see more kids do it, some of them on bikes, others running, and more just aimlessly walking. It sort of looked like they were taking turns doing it while the other kids took the road and they were running, and smiling, and laughing with each other. Maybe racing to see who could get to the other side faster. Who knows? I let this eat me alive for a while. I was thinking about the entitlement. I was thinking about the groove that’s going to eventually form in my yard from all the foot traffic. Stewing and brewing I was. And for what?

My wife didn’t share the sentiment. I asked if it bothered her and she said “Not at all. I don’t even think about it.” I wondered how she could possibly think this way. But then I started to think about it a little bit more. Why did I care? Who was it hurting? Maybe they’ve been doing this since kindergarten and this is the first school year that we’ve lived here. I played with this idea of not letting it bother me and I decided to turn my attitude about it around. After all, they’re kids. And they’re doing their job; being kids. It’s really not that big of a deal. We’re also not the “perfectly manicured” lawn type. We mow and pull weeds so it doesn’t look like a jungle, but that’s about it. So why not let the kids have their fun? Do I really want to be known as the crazy lady on the corner who chases after kids with a broomstick yelling, “Get off my lawn!” I mean, I’m already the crazy lady on the corner, so let’s just leave the broomsticks inside.

So I decided to do a complete 360 with my attitude and embrace it. Embrace the childhood that those kids are currently having and not let it ruffle my feathers. Embrace the fact that they must feel comfortable enough with this house and the people who own it to trek through the yard on the way to school. Embrace the fact that they wave if I’m outside. And maybe they feel so comfortable because every time they come to the door with some kind of fundraiser or chocolate bars for sale; we buy them. We bought their lemonade on the corner, and my daughter waves at them during the day when they go by. Si I decided to scale back on the crazy and place the crazy elsewhere. I even came up with this crazy idea (because I’m full of crazy ideas) to put out special treats, signs, balloons, jokes, etc.. throughout the school year. There’s a decent sized stump in the middle of the yard where they cross and it would be the perfect place to do something like that. Like a “Happy First Day of School” sign with a balloon or something like that. Something special for special days throughout the year. Can you imagine the nostalgia they’ll one day feel. Although it might attract more kids to cut through the yard, but who cares I guess? Didn’t I just say I decided I’m not going to let it bother me?

Maybe someday when they reflect on their childhood, my house will be part of that story, or when they come home for holidays when they’re adults they’ll drive by and say, “Remember that house? We used to cut through there on our way to school!” Or they might share with a significant other that they’re bringing home for the first time, “They used to leave cool signs on the first day of school.” So it could in fact turn into a house of nostalgia instead of the house with the crazy lady coming out with a broom all because I shifted my attitude towards it.

So, at the end of the day does it really matter if a couple kids are walking though my yard on their way to school? No it really really doesn’t. Any time my dog is outside, so am I- so that’s not something I have to worry about. Why spend all this time raising my cortisol levels when I don’t have to? Why spend the emotional energy on something so small? Now that I’ve really given it some thought, it seems silly that I ever let it upset me in the first place. I was in a place of- “why do they think they can just walk on someone else’s property!? It’s not theirs. How entitled!” Now I’ve just given up this imaginary fight and I’m going to let it be what it is. There’s no reason to get upset about it. I could even have a little fun with it. I don’t know… Donuts? That’s a good option. What kid doesn’t like a good donut on the way to school… Anyway. That’s all for now.

Talk soon,

Corrah