Dear Life Kit is NPR’s advice column, where our team answers tricky questions about relationships, social etiquette, work culture, and more. Have a question you want to ask Dear Life Kit anonymously? Share it here.

Last month, our host Marielle Segarra asked how you let your neighbors show up for you. We got dozens of emails. Here are a few from our inbox, which have been edited for length and clarity. 

Got something you want to share with Life Kit? Email us at lifekit@npr.org. 

“Caring for one another transcends politics and religion”

We live in rural Florida. The houses are separated by tall trees so we can’t see each other. Politics and religion also separate us. But we look out for each other.

Recently, I was recovering from surgery and saw that a tree had come down over our fence but I couldn’t do anything about it. One morning, I heard a chainsaw and saw neighbors cutting it up and removing it. They knew I would have done it already had I been able to.

Caring for one another transcends politics and religion and brings out the fundamental goodness of the human heart. –Brent Weisman

“We always share the bounty” 

Living in Southern California, my neighbors and I often have an abundance of produce from our gardens and we always share the bounty. Neighbors give me pomegranates and guava and I reciprocate with figs or avocados. We also have a neighbor text group to help with missing pets, an abandoned vehicle or the like. In the middle of a major city, I’m incredibly fortunate to reside in such a close community. –Marina Muhlfriedel
 
“I need to trust more in the good nature of people” 

I fell down the stairs and broke my ankle. I live alone and have no family close by. I knew I would need help, since I could barely walk. 

I asked my neighbor if she could take me to urgent care. She willingly took me, then got a walker and provided an air mattress for me! Two days later, she took me for surgery and waited for me, then took me home. 

Another neighbor went grocery shopping for me and has picked up my mail for weeks now. These two women stepped in to help me wherever they could, despite their own schedules. 

It was hard to ask for help. I thought it was an imposition. But both women were gracious. I realized I need to trust more in the good nature of people. –Michele Bondy

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