Life is full of… well, full of everything. It’s complete chaos. Don’t trust anything, anyone, and especially not your neighbor. Well, OK, be kind, be nice to your neighbor, but don’t be surprised if they act otherwise.
Sometimes it’s a misunderstanding, other times it’s contempt, and yet other times you have no idea what happened, let alone why.
This one netizen went to the r/EntitledPeople subreddit to share a story of how their kindness led to them reaping practically no harvest because the neighbor went nuts with their garden.
More Info: Reddit
It's always handy to have a garden next to your house. It's never nice when your neighbor harvests it all prematurely, though
Image source: Jamie (not the actual photo)
So, Redditor u/yikesladyy, with whom Bored Panda got in touch for an interview, has recently gone to Reddit—specifically to the r/EntitledPeople section of the site—to share how their garden was effectively mowed down (figuratively speaking, of course) by the next door neighbor. Well, his girlfriend, actually.
"It's the kind of story people seem to enjoy and it's relatable. Everyone has dealt with a clueless or entitled neighbor at some point. It was annoying, but kind of funny at the same time," elaborated OP on why they decided to share their story in the first place.
OP has a tiny corner of their yard dedicated to small vegetables and herbs. Pretty handy if you like to prepare food a lot. And there’s plenty to go around, which is why they have offered to let two of their neighbors reach for what they want over the fence.
One neighbor has been doing this for years, taking just a little bit a couple of times a week. If he needs more, he always asks, and he repays in roses, though this is not a requirement by the OP, but a token of thanks.
This one Redditor shared how their neighbor's girlfriend snipped everything from their garden, despite it not being ready for harvest
Image source: yikesladyy
The other neighbor never really cooked, and hence never really needed any of it. But, enter his girlfriend. She introduced herself, the two talked, and OP ended up offering to let her enjoy the garden too. However, there was a condition—“once it has a chance to grow a bit.”
But, for some reason, she did not pick up on this very explicit detail, and, 2 weeks later, proceeded to snip off every single herb until there were just a few left. Needless to say, OP was livid. So, instead of causing a ruckus, they sent their boyfriend as he was the diplomatic one in the family.
OP is a sharing person, but they didn't expect the neighbor to destroy their garden, let alone not heed their polite request to stop
Image source: yikesladyy
The significant other explained the situation—that the plants weren’t ready yet—to the neighbor, who started to apologize profusely, saying that this girlfriend wouldn’t be going near the herbs until OP allowed it.
All was quiet for a week. Then the wild girlfriend appeared again, with scissors in hand. But it had only been a week, nothing to harvest. But, apparently, she needed parsley for meatballs. The strangest part here is that there is a grocery store within walking distance, but the garden is apparently distancer. Um, closer.
At this point, the garden was but a few leaves. So, OP simply told the neighbor’s girlfriend to please get her herbs at the store from this point on. She didn’t seem to take it that well, though, as she turned red and went back inside.
And this was the toughest part for OP, as they elaborated: "Forcing myself to embarrass her instead of yelling at her like a crazy person [was the most challenging part in this situation]. I didn't want to do anything to compromise the good relationship we have with the homeowner."
OP also provided an update, saying that there was a conflict in the neighbor's home with the "over-snipper"
Image source: yikesladyy
While it's not the end of their garden, OP says it sucks that they'll have to wait now until it grows back
Image source: Karl Baron (not the actual photo)
Well, a week-ish later, OP had a chat with the nice neighbor, who’s apparently a bit nosy, and found out that the other neighbor had a disagreement a few days back. “Like he was sick of her [shirt].” Hasn’t seen her car since. The two swapped garden restoration tactics and rethought their placement, so nobody sees.
“With any luck, I will not be posting about her climbing into his yard through mine in the near future,” concluded OP.
Alas, there are no other updates, other than the one OP provided in the post, but they also never saw the girlfriend come back and the good news is that the other neighbor planted more parsley and basil, and those are doing well!
In the comments, OP elaborated (in response to people’s questions) that their garden will grow back to its former glory, but the damage has been done and this means they will have to wait longer. And who likes waiting anyway?
OP continued to provide context in the comments, where people were supportive
Also, they explained that it’s no problem for them to share as much as it’s necessary. But time was the key here; the girlfriend needed to wait for the plants to grow ready.
Lastly, people were wondering if the neighbors had broken up after this incident, but OP’s not sure. Whatever the case, in a few months’ time, the two herbal-savvy neighbors will have enough for everyone.
In the comments, folks were sharing similar stories, to more or less extreme degrees. Others suggested payback, or simply calling the police, but OP seems like the peaceful type, not minding the sharing, just specifying that it has to be done in an orderly fashion.
We were wondering if this is really entitled at this point, or is it just sheer misunderstanding on the girlfriend's part, and she simply didn't know how to deal with it afterwards? And OP said they're not entirely sure. But "most people realize that plants need time to grow and that it's rude to take a mile when you've been offered an inch."
So, what do we take from this? OP shared their advice in light of their recent experience: "Be polite, but firm. Don't let people take advantage of your kindness by allowing them to walk all over you."
The post got some modest attention online, with some internet sites picking up the story and passing it on. You can read it in full, and in context here. Or you can also read another story we covered about an entitled woman who thought the neighbor’s backyard was her kids’ backyard too.
But before you go, let us know your thoughts, suggestions and opinions in the comment section below! Or share herbs you like, it’s the season right now, ya know (unless you live on the opposite side of the planet, or are reading this in the future, in which case, wait 6 months, and “hi, future person! Do people live on Mars yet?”).