Crafty people are some of the best gift-givers out there. They often surprise you with thoughtful, personalized items that show a deeper level of care and creativity.

While Reddit user EnsnaredAngel was working on a birthday present for her brother, she needed to use a chop saw for a few minutes. However, one of her neighbors immediately had a problem with the noise from the tool.

The two of them got into a heated exchange, and now tension lingers in the otherwise peaceful area.

This woman was contacted by her neighbor about the noise she was making at 9 PM

Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto / pexels (not the actual photo)

But she didn’t think that she was doing anything wrong

Image credits: Cypress Liu / pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: EnsnaredAngel

People are quite forgiving to their neighbors, but eventually, they do reach a breaking point

When SafeHome.org, a resource and research firm on safety and security, surveyed over 1,000 Americans, they discovered that nearly one in five respondents admitted to illegal activity of some kind within their residence or the surrounding area.

20% said they had been drinking in public, 18% reported they were speeding, and 17% confessed to smoking cannabis. However, most of them found a way to do these things without anyone noticing, with 9%, 6%, and 4% respectively adding that they were called out for these behaviors.

Even though violating noise ordinances came in the 7th place of the most popular offenses with 11%, it was the one people were the most frequently confronted by their neighbors for (26%).

“Evidence shows that most neighbors are relatively forgiving when it comes to committing crimes, but they do have a line that can be crossed,” SafeHome.org noted in its survey. “While most will forgive things like drinking and smoking in the vicinity, property theft and damage will likely have you dealing with concerned neighbors or even the police.”

Even if you don’t want more friends in your life, it is much better if you get along with your neighbors. You never know when you might need their help.

Plus, according to research from The Australian National University, a tight-knit, supportive community does wonders for our mental health; people are generally much less likely to report symptoms of depression, anxiety, and loneliness if they have positive perceptions of their neighborhood social environments.

Of course, when our neighbors accuse us of creating a problem that is impacting their quality of life, our natural response might be to go on the defensive and insist that it’s actually them in the wrong. Especially when technically we aren’t violating any laws. However, this approach often only creates more conflict. Instead, we should try, whenever possible, to consider their point of view.

Image credits: Skitterphoto / pexels (not the actual photo)

The woman received a lot of support after sharing her story

However, not everyone was on her side

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