Why Helping Your Neighbor Matters More Than Buying Their Coffee
January 17, 2026
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If you live in western Montana, you know how relentless the snow has been these past few days.
This morning, as I was getting ready to leave for work, I heard the familiar sounds of winter struggle—a car door opening and closing, the scrape of a shovel, and an engine revving. Not a good sign when the roads are packed with snow.
I looked outside and saw my neighbor stuck in her four-wheel-drive SUV. The snowplow had just passed, packing her driveway solid with heavy, icy snow—right after she spent an hour shoveling it.
I hurried to get dressed and go help, but by the time I got outside, she was already gone. I knew she’d have to fight her way back in later, so I took my truck, locked the rear differentials, and packed down the snow in front of her driveway, making it easier for her when she returned. Later, I did the same for my own driveway so my wife could get in when she got home from work.
Later that day, my neighbor’s mother called me over. She tried handing me $40. I immediately refused, but what she told me next hit me hard.
Her daughter works with special needs children and helps them off the bus in the mornings. She had been flustered and overwhelmed—not just because of the snow, but because today marked the 8th anniversary of her father’s passing.
She was struggling, and she didn’t even have time to stop and process it.
I didn’t help for money. I did it because neighbors help neighbors. That’s how I was raised.
Growing up, my parents always asked me to do little things for the neighbors—taking their garbage cans back, clearing their driveways when I shoveled ours. I never thought much about it back then. But as I get older, I realize just how much those small acts mean.
Right now, there’s a lot of division in our country. Politics, beliefs, opinions—it’s easy to focus on the things that separate us. But at the end of the day, none of it matters when your car is stuck in the snow.
We share the same streets. The same neighborhood. The same community. When one of us does better, we all do better.
So next time you’re out shoveling, go a few extra feet. If you’re pulling in your garbage can, grab your neighbor’s too. These little things make a huge difference.
And if you really want to “pay it forward,” skip the Starbucks line and help someone who truly needs it. Trust me—this kind of giving is far more rewarding.
#ThinkGloballyActLocally #NeighborsHelpNeighbors #MontanaLife #PayItForward
