But this isn’t an ideal world, and there is no such thing as a flawless neighbor.

Instead we get neighbors who have absolutely no boundaries.

“I had a neighbor who was too cheap to purchase her own underwear. She’d just steal mine from the dryer. I knew it was her because I spied on her and caught her in the act.”

Or neighbors who are always throwing parties.

“My neighbor threw an enormous party that started at 11:00 p.m. on a TUESDAY. Oh and it had a live band. What’s worse? Her guests were so wasted there was throw-up all over our shared backyard.”

There are also those who are hyper nosey.

“At my old apartment, we had a neighbor who was so nosey, that he knew exactly when we had a couple of guests over. He would then find an excuse to come over so he could eat and drink for free.”

We’ve all had a run-in with a person who … well, let’s just say he or she wouldn’t be our first choice when it came to living in close proximity.

Here are some bad neighbor stories:

1. Family of 5. 3 kids approximately 11, 8 and maybe 6 years old. The middle one, a boy, EVERY MORNING at a very early hour will stand on the porch and yell full volume:

BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR! BEAR!

Over and over. Bear is their dog. Bear never listens.

2. Not necessarily the people, but the dogs. The amount of pet dogs on my street is ridiculous, and they don’t stop barking to each other from about 12 to 2 AM. It wouldn’t be that hard for my brain to just cancel it out over time, but they don’t do it every night, it is about once a week. When it happens, there is a 2 hour non-stop barking session that keeps me up every time.

3. At an apartment I used to live at, the tenant living above us was an overweight woman who had heavy lead feet and a bouncy ball for a son. She had the heaviest footsteps and you can tell where she was in her apartment. (Oh, there she goes…walking to the kitchen….wait…changed her mind…she’s going to the living room now….nowww she’s going to the kitchen). We didn’t mind it, but as soon as she decided to start doing a home workout that involved a lot of jumping, that’s when we started to mind. Fortunately, shortly after she started that program, she moved out.

As far as her son goes, he would run around the apartment, jump everywhere, and every time he would go out of the front door, he’d let it slam shut.

4. Across the street from where I grew up, they sold the old house on the corner to a contractor, who put up two brand new houses. A family with a daughter in high school moved into one of them. If the windows are open in my parents’ house, you can hear the daughter screaming at the mother, then the mother screaming at the father. Every day.

In addition, the father is constantly outside with his leaf blower. Their property is immaculate, but if there’s a single leaf on the front yard, he will blow it away. Usually onto their other neighbor’s yard. The leaves apparently must be at least as far as halfway across the street. He does this at all hours of the day and night. You can hear the blower and the screaming from all of the surrounding houses. Sometimes when I visit, I’ve heard him in the middle of the night (1 a.m). We refer to him as “Hoover.”

Love thy neighbor? We don’t know anymore, guys.

You don’t have to be a morning person to benefit from morning rituals. Most people hit snooze, roll out of bed and into some clothes while plunging into their day without a plan. You, however, can choose to approach your day mindfully. Being mindful will increase the odds that you will feel good, be more productive and end up happier when it’s all over.

HERE ARE TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD DO EVERY MORNING BEFORE 10:00 AM TO STACK THE DECK IN YOUR FAVOR.

1. MEDITATE

Meditating or even some simple breathing can help you begin your day with a sense of calm. Instead of reaching for your phone or checking email first thing in the morning, take just a few minutes to sit and experience the quiet.

There is plenty of activity during our day, make a commitment to start on a quieter note. It will set the tone for your day and will help increase your focus, energy, and optimism.

2. REFLECT IN GRATITUDE

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart

Start your day by reflecting on what you are grateful for. A consistent practice of gratitude in the mornings will increase your awareness of gratitude throughout your day. It will also make you more resilient when challenges occur and help you put drama in perspective.

3. SET YOUR DAILY INTENTION

In the quiet of the day, before the fires need putting out, plan your day by focusing on three goals you want to accomplish.

Make those goals a priority for the day. When you set about planning your day with intention, you are more likely to feel productive at the end of it.

4. PAD YOUR SCHEDULE

As you go about setting your daily intentions, pad your schedule to allow yourself to tend to fires as they arise. Padding your schedule with free time will give you a better chance of achieving your goals and may even add some downtime throughout the day.

5. HYDRATE

Your body awakens dehydrated, so it is very important to drink up first thing in the morning. In her book, The Body Ecology Diet, Donna Gates suggests you drink half of your entire daily water intake by mid-morning. It will flush your system of toxins, leave you feeling less hungry and reduce headaches throughout the day.

6. STRETCH

You will be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t wake up feeling a bit stiff. It isn’t always easy to incorporate exercise into a morning routine. If you were going to choose one thing, the American Journal of Sports Medicine suggests adding a short muscle-stretching sequence of exercises to your morning schedule.

Studies show that consistent stretching in the morning can increase flexibility, improve circulation, reduce stress throughout your day and improve posture.

7. LISTEN TO MUSIC

Starting your day with upbeat and fun music will not only wake you up but it will fill you with positive energy for your day.

A 2013 study found that music makes you feel good. According to study participants, the two most important benefits of listening to music are “mood regulation” and “self-awareness.”

Not only has it been shown to improve your mood but it can end up increasing motivation, performance, and lead to a better night’s sleep too.

8. SMILE

Start your day off by smiling at yourself in the bathroom mirror. Smiling will have a positive effect on your overall attitude and well-being, even when it starts out a little forced. Smiling makes you more approachable, and appear more trustworthy. In fact, The University of Montpellier discovered that smiling will also make you a more effective leader.

9. CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF

Life is busy and morning routines can be a bit rushed. It can be very tempting when you are running behind to leave your clothes on the floor, dishes in the sink or leave the trash until later. Just do put them away!

Procrastination around cleaning up after yourself can prevent you from realizing our highest potential and best work. It also allows you to relax fully upon returning home. It is better to pro-actively clean up after yourself than waiting to be called out on it.

10. DO YOUR HARDEST TASK FIRST

It might seem enticing to get a bunch of easy things checked off your to-do list, but it has been shown time and time again that doing your hardest task first leads to a more productive and happier day. You are more likely to remember the day as being a good one when your day gets better and is easier over time. The bonus: it helps stop procrastination over the things we like to do the least.

source: Power of Positivity

Decide whether the following statements are true or false.

1. Meditation will help increase your focus, energy, and optimism.

2. Gratitude in the morning will help you deal with challenges during the day.

3. You should focus on two goals that you want to accomplish.

4. If you pad your schedule with free time as well, it will help you accomplish your goals.

5. You should drink equal amounts of water during the day.

6. Stretching improves circulation and flexibility.

7. Listening to music fills you with negative energy.

8. Smiling at yourself in the bathroom mirror helps your overall attitude.

9. Cleaning up after yourself in the morning allows you to relax fully upon returning home.

10. You should do your easiest task first.

Key:

1. true

2. true

3. false (you should focus on three goals)

4. true

5. false (you should drink half of your water intake by mid morning)

6. true

7. false (it fills you with positive energy)

8. true

9. true

10. false (you should do your hardest task first)

RORY: I’m so sorry I’m late. Hi Grandma, Hi Grandma.
RICHARD: Hello Rory.
LORELAI: Oh, now he closes the paper.
RORY: Hey, Mom, I stopped by the bookstore on the way here.
LORELAI: You got them?
RORY: I got ‘em!
EMILY: Got what?
LORELAI: Rory and I are starting to plan our Europe trip.
RORY: The day after graduation, we are gone.
RICHARD: Well, that sounds very exciting.
EMILY: Lorelai, what are these?
LORELAI: Those are guidebooks.
EMILY: “Europe Through the Backdoor.” “The Rough Guide to Europe.” What kind of guidebooks are these?
LORELAI: The cheap kind.
RORY: They have all the good information about backpacking and staying in hostels.
EMILY: Backpacking and staying in hostels?
RICHARD: Who’s backpacking and staying in hostels?
LORELAI: We are.
EMILY: No, you’re not.
RICHARD: What a ridiculous thought.
RORY: We are. We’re going to backpack around Europe.
EMILY: Yes, I know, it’s fun to tease your grandmother, dear. They’re going to backpack across Europe, Richard.
RICHARD: I heard, sounds delightful. Perhaps we should join them.
EMILY: That sounds wonderful. Tomorrow I’ll go out and buy some cutoffs.
LORELAI: Guys, we’re not kidding.
EMILY: You’re telling me you’re seriously going to traipse across Europe with your possessions strapped to your back and sleep in a room with thirty other people?
LORELAI: Yes.
RICHARD: No.
RORY: Grandpa.
RICHARD: It’s not safe. I forbid it. Call our travel agent.
RORY: But we want to be spontaneous. Jump a train to Paris, head off to Spain.
LORELAI: Oh no, it’s raining in Spain. But since the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain. . .
RORY: Looks like Italy for us!
LORELAI: Mamma mia!
RICHARD: You can still travel around aimlessly and stay in a decent hotel.
LORELAI: We wanna do it cheap.
EMILY: We’ll pay.
LORELAI: No.
RORY: Grandma, it’s going to be fun, really.
LORELAI: Kids do this all the time.
EMILY: Yes, but you’re not a kid, you’re a grown woman. What are people going to think when they see a grown woman bunking down with a bunch of twenty-year-olds?
LORELAI: Well, if the twenty-year-olds are cute, they’ll probably think, “Lucky!”
RORY: Grandma, don’t be upset. It really is going to be great.
EMILY: What’s so traumatic about a night without a bed anyway? My survey shows those who have had the opportunity to be a refugee for a night have their perspectives broaden and actually enjoy the experience.” Richard, this book is encouraging them to sleep in a park like a squirrel.
LORELAI: It’s okay, Mom.
EMILY: My first trip to Europe, I went to Paris and stayed at the Ritz.
LORELAI: Well, I tell you what, if it’ll make you happy, we’ll go to Paris and eat out of their dumpster.