Today was a funny day. It was the first day of a Chinese New Year. We have a year of the dog now. The motto of the Dog Year is security and tranquility.

I could not sleep last night. It all started last evening before it got dark outside. My neighbor on the diagonal corner was making noise using auger to make some holes. I had no time to investigate what he was up-to because I was busy running a security test on one of my servers. Later at night, perhaps because the digging bothered me to the point that I could not sleep, I got out of the bed and went to check the dig. It was not what the neighbor was digging, but where. He dug bunch of the holes on my side of the property line. Now, I was not going to sleep for sure. What am I going to do? I checked the plan of the property to make sure that I am not mistaken where the property line was. Yes, the holes were on my side. I am going to call authorities (which ones?), talk to the neighbor?, now in the middle of the night? Well, after going back to bed, angry thoughts were going trough my mind. I had to get up again to get a drink to make me slow down a bit and went back to bed trying to sleep.

In the morning I was "spaced out" from lack of sleep and decided to get some coffee. It was unusually busy at the local Starbucks shop this morning. Customers were shouting the cryptic orders. I ordered my usual "grande regular coffee". Man standing behind me ordered "grande tai chi", before he had a chance to correct his order to "grande chai tea", Carol, the waitress asked him: "would you like a little kung fu with it?".

While driving back home, I did see on the sidewalk a boy learning to ride a bike being helped by a man holding the boy by the neck while he struggles to keep his bike steady. Usually the helper is holding the bike by the seat. Something new, you get the sore neck while learning to ride a bike. I got bruised arms and scraped knees from falling while learning to ride my bike.

Coffee did not help. I was still tired from lack of sleep and decided to go to bed. Angry thoughts were not leaving my mind. When my neighbor started to make noise outside in the yard, I got out of bed and decided to confront him hoping that his perhaps would eliminate my anger. The worst he could do is to hit me with a shovel or talk spanish to me.

My neighbor was planting the ficus shrubs in the holes he made last night. I approached him and said that he is probably planting on my side of the property line. After discussing the situation for few minutes and exchanging few words like easement, property line and other terms that I and he probably had incorrect information about he offered to help in the future with planting of shrubs on my property. I gave up. This was going nowhere. I went home. After I left the neighbor was making new holes not where I thought he should make them but far enough to make me satisfied. I noticed that confrontation erased my anger.

It makes sense to resolve the dispute quickly, it does eliminate your anger and anxiety. Got to leave in peace with your neighbors.