i woke up on saturday to drilling and banging going on in the alley next to my building. this alley is vital to my lifestyle as it conveniently allows me access to the parking lot behind the building. now, i realize that parking lots are not the most exciting places in the world (unless said parking lot is full of snow and penguins and you are behind the wheel of a 1985 oldsmobile wagon). however, it is exciting to me because i have no other place to park my car. i’ve tried parking it in my neighbors’ front lawn, my back deck, and even on top of another car. not really, i’m not that stupid.

on my venturing out to my four-wheeled friend that afternoon, i noticed a large iron gate with an unnecessarily large lock had been installed in the alley. emotions ranged from confusion to anger to sadness to hunger. i wanted a wawa sandwich, so i walked the long way around to my car and forgot about the mystery of the fence. wawa is good with the distractions.

fast forward to this morning. my always unpredictable downstairs neighbor was waiting for me at the top of the stairs as i exited my apartment into the common area. after the awkwardness settled, i questioned him about the fence and i received all the answers i was looking for. sort of.

i still don’t know what the fence is for or why it was installed, but i do know that my landlord had it installed, and i also know that my landlord did not tell me a thing about it, and that my key is supposed to work in the lock, but it doesn’t.

if you still don’t know how to be a bad landlord after that, then i’m sorry. i’ve done all i can for you.

i recently came across this parable of a cherokee man and his grandson that really resonated with me.

a grandfather and grandson were walking through the forest one winter evening. from far away, they heard the wolves howl.

“hungry wolves!” said the grandson.

“yes, just like the ones inside us,” said the grandfather.

“what do you mean? we have wolves inside us, hungry wolves?”

“yes, we do. two wolves.”

“two wolves?”

“one wolf is always angry. and resentful, greedy, full of false pride, self-pity and arrogance. he bears his teeth and is always ready to pounce.”

“and the other one?”

“the other one has it in him to be a great pack leader. he protects the young and knows where to take the pack when the winds get too fierce. he is full of love, hope, kindness, joy, compassion, serenity and generosity. he is peaceful and humble and has a great sense of humour.”

“what do these two wolves do inside of us?”

“they fight with each other for your soul.”

“which one wins?’

“the one who wins, grandson, is the one you feed.”