Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Good Neighbours & Socioeconomic Pressure

30 Day Blogging Challenge

Talk Tuesday!
Are your neighbors genuinely good people, or bad people? And please cite an example.

I am blessed to have great neighbours. When our huge tree out front cracked and broke off - thankfully not causing any damage to our cars or the house - our neighbours came to help. They cut off branches and vacuumed up the excess sawdust. The neighbour also called his arbourist to came and take the worst of it down.

Whenever we go away the people across the street come to look after our cats. We reciprocate and look after their plants and bird feeders. We also share food. Betty brought over a huge zucchini she didn't know what to do with and mom made ratatouille. She took some over for them to try.... they did. We all had a good laugh about it though as my mother was the sixth person to get that zucchini - nobody knew what to do with it and it was too big to do just zucchini bread with it!

I have also taken chocolate chip cookies over to Ken after my client and I baked one day this summer. There were too many for us to eat - I split them between three households - ours, my clients, and our neighbours. Ken loved those cookies.... the ratatouille was not as big a thrill.
Everyone keeps an eye out for each other and waves. I appreciate the closeness.

Blog City – Day 933

Prompt: Jane Austen was one of the first authors to examine the effects of socioeconomic pressure on personal relationships. Do you think the same socioeconomic pressure may still mess up personal relationships in our day?

Yes.
There are still women who stay in relationships because they are worried that they will not be able to 'survive' without their husband's financial support. This leaves women vulnerable and limits their choices. The fear of the unknown keeps them locked into the familiar, regardless of the pain it causes. They fear loss of their social status and messing up their children's lives.

I admire the women who are strong enough to make the break and find that their lives improve. The emotional upheaval is immense and they have overcome far more than anyone can ever understand.

I admire the women who have taken their children out of unsafe and uncivil environments and built better lives for themselves.
I think women need to pull together and support each other so that this kind of suffering is diminished. We also need to teach our young men and women to be strong in themselves and always have some self sustainability so that they can stand on their own if the need arises. We also need to teach them to be good to each other, respectful and loving.

Life is not easy and there are no guarantees.

Financial issues are often the bane of our existence. My ex found it necessary to point out the things he bought and paid for, even if I had contributed. He was the greater money earner and he did not let me forget that. Marriage is supposed to be a partnership, not a contest of who bought and payed for things.

Even as we struggle to part ways, I feel the pressure. Many women don't fight for their rights and some men are only too happy to bully them into believing they aren't worth much.