Out of my comfort zone

So when I was a kid, even into adulthood, my mom made a very big deal about never feeling comfortable going into people's homes (with permission) when they weren't there or even grabbing anything out of their purse (even when they asked her to), etc.  Apparently this was ingrained in her by my grandmother.  My mom and I had a very open relationship and she didn't even like going in my house without us being there.  Her discomfort passed on to me.

My next-door neighbor's wife is dying of cancer.  She has already outlived the small expectations of a couple of months that she was given in January but the pain has increased greatly and gets worse daily. We don't have much means to help them but one thing I can do is mow their lawn.  We have a riding lawn mower and I offered to mow his lawn when I mow ours.  It's funny to me that even though he knows and appreciates that I will mow his lawn, I still feel uncomfortable in the yard.  I, of course, was raised to respect other's property and would avoid walking in someone's yard at a all costs.  At the risk of sounding old and cranky, kids these days just don't have the same respect.  Kids traipse all over the yards around here not even caring that it's someone's property.  Once, a group of kids hopped our back fence (twice in the same day) to fetch something that had landed in our yard.  That wouldn't be that big of deal had we not been home and would have gladly gotten it for them had they knocked on the door and asked.  I digress.  Tonight I mowed both of our lawns.  I was uncomfortable the WHOLE time.  I don't really have a point here but it just baffles me how the mentality of a yard being private property and is an intimate part of someone's home.

I don't really have a point here, other than this kind of mentality really colors every part of my psyche.  I can see where it affects so many parts of my life.  I would like to explore this at another time.  The implications of the lack of this perception from the younger generations are interesting to explore as well.    Hmmm.