Dottie's Corner • Guest writer Scott Z.
Living in Palm Cove Estates is a pretty great thing. We have great people, long sidewalks for good exercise, rising property values, and even some rules that help us maintain this desirable neighborhood. The rules are designed not to be a hassle but to make sure that we respect our neighbors, keep our property values strong, and ensure that we have a safe and pleasant community.
It occurs to me that to be human is to make mistakes and sometimes, to forget the basics. To paraphrase the title of one of my favorite poems by Robert Fulghum, "All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten" -- Everything You Need To Know About Being A Good Neighbor You Learned In Kindergarten. The poem can also apply to the basics of being a good neighbor. We are all in this together—we all live in the same neighborhood. For example, if you park your car over a sidewalk, you are forcing your neighbor to walk in the street instead of on the safety of the sidewalk...would you want to walk in the street...would you want your child to walk in the street? Of course not, it's the little things, small considerations that are actually the big things that go a long way to making our neighborhood a place of harmony and serenity.
"Individually we make a difference but collectively we make our world the way it is."
From time to time we see some of our neighbors "break" a rule and feel that we can't say anything to them out of concern for hurting their feelings or receiving an angry response. We do have an HOA that will handle these issues for us and all we have to do is send them an email via the contact page of the website and the HOA will handle the rest. Click here to contact the Palm Cove Estates HOA – and bookmark the link for future use.
There is a list of Common Code Violations and Security Issues that the HOA created--please take a moment to read them and try to be mindful of them. Click here to read the full list of Palm Cove Estates and Orange County Code Violations. And when you see something off center, please approach the issue from a place of calm understanding and contact the HOA directly.
And about the poem by Robert Fulghum, I encourage you to take a moment to read the poem below and reflect on the wise lessons taught to all of us when we are so very young and embrace them as you go about your day in Palm Cove Estates and beyond.
"All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten"
by Robert Fulghum
Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sand pile at Sunday school.
These are the things I learned:
Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life - Learn some and think some And draw and paint and sing and dance And play and work everyday some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, Watch out for traffic, Hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder.
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