If there’s one thing all people need but many feel like they’re missing, it’s community. Even if we’re surrounded by people, we may not always feel connected, and many of us yearn for a caring, supportive community to be a part of.
But what we might not realize is that creating a sense of community can be as basic as checking in on a neighbor you haven’t seen in a while. That’s the simple act that brought nearly 5 million people to doorbell camera recording shared by a TikTok user named Amanda.
The video reads, “POV: your dad died young & you’re a single mom but you’ve been living next to this sweet old man for 5 years who looks out for you at all times.”
We see a man—Amanda’s neighbor—approach the door and ring the doorbell. After the doorbell’s “Not home, leave a message” prompt, Greg says, ” Hey, this is Greg, your next-door neighbor. This morning I saw you for the first time in about a week. I was just checking to see if everything was OK, if you’re alright. I figured with all the heat and everything else, I’d give a little wellness check. So I was just checking to see if you’re okay. Have a good day.”
People loved Greg, right out of the gate.
“He’s doing a wellness check on you? ? you better do a wellness check on him with cookies!” wrote one person.
“Hello Angel on earth?” wrote another.
“My dad passed five years ago and I am sobbing, this was the kind of person my dad was and I miss him terribly ?,” wrote another.
Everyone agreed that Greg must be protected at all costs.
Amanda shared in a follow-up video that she and her daughter took Greg some warm brownies as thanks for his thoughtfulness. Community is a two-way street, after all.
May we all appreciate the Gregs of this world and also strive to be more like Greg ourselves. Imagine how beautiful it would be if we all looked after our neighbors with such tenderness and care.
