PART 3

He discovered that Claire’s new landscaping crossed the property boundary by nearly three feet. Her stone border, shrubs, and irrigation system had been installed partly on Mia’s property and partly within a city utility easement. Claire would have to remove or relocate everything.

Claire was devastated because she had spent thousands of dollars on the landscaping. The inspector advised her to contact the contractor, who might be responsible for the mistake. Mia expected Claire to remain angry, but instead, Claire eventually came to apologize.

Claire admitted she had spent so much time finding faults in Mia’s life that she had never examined her own. Mia accepted her apology. From then on, Claire became a respectful neighbor, and the street slowly returned to its peaceful routine. Mia kept her grandmother’s wind chimes, and Claire never complained about them again. In the end, Claire learned a simple lesson: before measuring everyone else’s faults, look carefully at your own.