Say Hello

“Say Hello” to Maddie…

No, Maddie is not a new addition to our family if that’s what you’re thinking. However, it's probably a good bet that we'll see a little bit more of Maddie in our future. Here’s the quick story if ya care to read it.

Sometimes in the mornings, I’ll see “Maddie” and her owner walking around the neighborhood. I’ve never met Maddie, nor have I ever said one word to her owner. In fact, I don’t think it ever crossed my mind to even “Say Hello.”

But on this fine Monday morning, I just happen to be outside in the front yard. I’d like to say I was communing with nature, but I was actually just jabbering on the phone with my brother. He and I were engaged in a lively discussion in which we were surely solving all of the world’s ills. But right as I was about to make an excellent and profound counterpoint to my brother’s lame argument, a lady wearing a big floppy sun hat comes frantically running up to me, trying to attract my attention. I instantly recognize her as the “dog walking lady” I see around town.

She immediately blurts out in broken-English, “My dog! My dog is hurt! Can you call the police?” At that point, I take the keen pleasure in rudely hanging up on my brother, and address the situation. “What’s wrong?” I simply ask. She excitedly points across the street where her dog is tied up, “Maddie has hurt her leg. She can’t walk. We’re too far from home. She’s too heavy for me to carry. I forgot to bring my cellphone. I usually bring my cellphone. Can you call the police? I forgot my cell phone. Did I say that already? I need to take Maddie to the Vet right away!”

Yeah… All those short, stilted, little sentences came firing out all at once, pelting me in a whirlwind of words.

From my vantage point, I could see that Maddie was agitated, but otherwise fine in my expert opinion (yeah, not an expert). I make a quick decision and tell the owner, whose name I later learned is May, that she doesn’t need the police. I could drive May and Maddie home right now in my car… She excitedly agrees and rushes to be by her dog’s side.

Running back to the house, I throw the front door open, take the deepest breath possible, and bellow at the top of my lungs, “NASH!!! LET’S GO!!!”

Nash comes dashing out of his bedroom sporting a very impressive “bedhead”, yelling “What? Where? What? Huh???”

I shout again, “Come on Nash! We gotta go!!!”

“To where?” he reasonably asks. “To Rescue A Dog!!!” I resolutely reply.

And with that OBVIOUS explanation in hand, like that sort of thing happens every day here at the Wong House, Nash just shrugs, slaps on his Crocs, and jumps into the car in record time. No other explanation was needed or given...

We pull the car up, and we see immediately that Maddie is favoring her front right paw and that she can bear no weight on it. I try lifting Maddie up, but Maddie doesn’t know me, and keeps pulling out of my grasp. Then, Nash gives it a go, doing the smart thing of getting down to the dogs level, and letting her sniff his hand first in order to introduce himself and “Say Hello” to the dog.

Nash is successful! And lifts Maddie into our car! We drive only a few blocks to their house, which seems like a short distance in a car, but certainly a country mile if have you an injured dog on your hands... There, we were able to safely transfer Maddie from our minivan into May’s car. Our job now complete...

With that, Nash and I walk away, secretly smiling at each other signifying a job well done.

But at the last minute, May gets out of her car… With glistening eyes, she meekly asks to know both of our names. Speaking our newly learned names out loud, she personally thanks us both, with a warm handshake and a grateful heart...

Now, I understand that this is barely even a story. That this is just plain old neighborhood stuff that should happen naturally in any neighborhood, anywhere in the country. But that’s kind of my point. "Neighborhoods” like the ones we all knew growing up, are sadly disappearing. And these kind of everyday, one on one interactions that we have with our neighbors, are now so rare, that they are now Facebook worthy stories instead of just part of normal life living in community.

I personally miss hanging out with the "kids on our street” during the hot days of summer. I miss block parties. I miss knocking on your neighbor’s door when you’re out of sugar. Or need a ladder... I miss just asking, “Can Johnny come out and play?” without texting or emailing first. I miss going to the Cool Family's house on the 4th of July, because THAT family's dad always bought the “BIG BOX O' FIREWORKS” that YOUR parents were too cheap to buy.

But as they say, life is what you make it... And it starts with ME. So, here's my first steps toward Community:

Tonight. I'm gonna go out for a walk after dinner. Without wearing headphones... I'm gonna walk with my wife. We'll download our respective days. And Talk. And heaven forbid, if a person starts heading our way on the same sidewalk (Gasp!), I will surely make it a point to SMILE, and “Say Hello.”

Will it make a difference? Who knows, but I know that for May and Maddie it did... And for me, that's more than good enough.