I live in a really nice community that is deed restricted.

What that really means is homeowners have to follow a bunch of rules. To make sure no one breaks the rules, two compliance officers ride around the community and take time-stamped photos of any violation they see.

Some people who live here are not quite in agreement as to whether it’s smart to live in our deed-restricted community.

On one hand, we are told, everything looks nice because “not looking nice” isn’t tolerated. Most people think the rules keep our community looking great … until the rules affect them, that is.

Many of the rules are about garbage. You decide if the rules are rigid or exactly right.

Homeowners are not allowed to have exposed garbage cans or visible yard trash containers.

All cans and containers kept outside must be enclosed in fencing. An entire page of “guidelines,” better known as rules, defines what kind, what size and what color fencing is allowed.

To comply, I had the “right kind” of fencing installed. But I wasn’t home free because I once got a letter in the mail saying one of my cans was sticking out too far and was visible from the street.

I was sure that only a drone, a bird or bumblebee could see the can from the street, but I made a better effort to “be compliant.”

Being compliant also means garbage cans are allowed at the curb for pickup only on the assigned garbage day and must be put away by the end of the day.

Sometimes I’m not there on garbage days and am not available to take in the cans. Second violations, I was warned, mean a fine.

Thank God for good neighbors. The last time that happened, some kind soul saved me by putting my cans back where they belonged.

I figured it was my nice next-door neighbor, Bob. When I thanked him, he said I was thanking the wrong person. Someone had taken his cans in, also. It wasn’t my neighbor Chris, either.

There were no other possibilities. After a week, I learned it was my neighbor Tom. No way I thought it would be him. Tom is 98 and weighs about 88 pounds. I couldn’t picture him wrestling with the big cans to get them back into the tight space.

Tom grinned from ear to ear when I went over to thank him. I was grinning too because his unexpected act of kindness made me feel so good.

Actually, all around me I’ve been seeing acts of kindness that make me feel good about the human race.

Standing in line at the grocery store I saw the fellow at the cashier had his credit card rejected. He handed the cashier two more credit cards that were also rejected. He stood there looking embarrassed that he didn’t have $18.30 to pay for his groceries.

He had only bought milk, bread and a few staples. Before I could offer to help, the older woman in front of me told the cashier to just put his total on her bill. His face turned beet red but he thanked her and was able to leave with his groceries.

Don’t you just love when you encounter people who care about others?

Sometimes we have so many troubles that it doesn’t seem fair when we’re hit with more. That was the case when my friend Jean, who normally has to use a wheelchair, was seriously injured when hit by a Mack Truck. It’s been three months and her broken back still hasn’t healed.

She’s unable to walk or do the basic things to take care of herself. Worse yet, since her husband died, she lives alone with no family to help.

Our church ladies stepped in to bring her meals, wash her clothes and do some of the unmentionable things that have to be done for her.

Sometimes, when something bad happens to someone, people come to help at first then they walk away and get busy with their own lives. So far, it’s been heartening to see how a few women are succeeding in helping Jean to live on her own.

My friend Bobbi Sue gathers a few friends to help her put on a potluck dinner every Tuesday night for the homeless and the needy. Most of the time it’s just something on the grill, side dishes and deserts. But it sure is appreciated.

This week a woman came to eat and carried a platter to her husband who stayed in the car. She said he just got out of the hospital and they didn’t know how they would pay for dinner. “It was a godsend when I heard about this free meal,” said the old woman.

Bobbi Sue says it makes her feel good just to be of service to others.

One woman who teaches troubled teens said no matter what she tried she couldn’t get through to the teens. Finally, when she took them to a nursing home for their court-ordered community service, she was stunned to see the positive change that came over the kids as they helped the elderly residents.

“They felt good being able to help,” she said.

The kids learned a truism: When we help others, we gain as much as those we help.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.