Part of our front yard doesn't look great right now. We had drainage installed last week. I've been working to make it look better. One of my favorite neighbors was walking his dog this morning as I finished putting some work in. Over the years he's seen me play catch with one of my kids and he's complimented my son on how he throws and catches. I've always liked his positive small talk with me. He's told me his kids are older and occasionally he's nostalgic about when his kids were younger.
Today, I pointed to the mess on our lawn and told him I've been working on it. He paused. "I'm an advice seeker," he said. Another pause. "But if I could give one piece of advice...when you put down grass seed I'd put some peat moss over it. I speak from experience." He went on to briefly explain that a little peat moss will keep the moisture in and help the grass grow faster. That was it. About 15 seconds. I sincerely thanked him for good advice. Honestly, he could've said just about anything after opening with "I'm an advice seeker." I might borrow this. Brilliant. I believe him when he implies he's not one to be in the business of giving advice.
I generally don't care for unsolicited advice, mostly because of how people tend to introduce their advice. "Why don't you....." is an opening phrase that's always irritated me. It's often accompanied by a condescending manner. But in a case like this, the person carefully and thoughtfully offered a few words of advice based on similar experience. That works for me. I appreciate help. I'm not too proud to take advice. It's all in how you give it.
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