Living in close proximity to others, such as sharing walls, floors, and ceilings in an apartment building, means occasionally having to communicate when one person's noise affects another. That might look like a simple, "Hey, would you mind turning your music down?" or letting a neighbor know that stomping feet or loud voices carry farther than they might think.

It's always a bit awkward to say something to a neighbor you don't know well, which is why some people simply leave a note. But a note an apartment dweller left for their upstairs neighbor about the sounds coming from their unit took an unexpectedly charming turn.

The note reads: "Dear ____ in 201. I have to inform you of your cat. He or she runs around a lot. I can hear the pitter-patter of their feets on my ceiling. It's very cute and brings me a lot of joy when I hear it. Tell them to keep it up. [Signed] ___ (downstairs neighbor)."

Some people seemed to misinterpret the note as a sarcastic complaint rather than the sweet letter it was. (Referring to paws as "feets" should have been a clue to the tone, but it's not always easy to read intent in a note that plays on a common trope.) But most people in the comments got the intended message:

"Not gonna lie, you got me in the first half 😂 but I'm obsessed, I would've LOVED this when I lived in an apartment!"

"I was getting ready to tell you to get over yourself, but instead I'm here to tell you that you're awesome. Thanks for the smile."

"I tell my neighbor this all of the time! I think she might think I'm being passive aggressive bc I ask about her cat when I see her but genuinely, I can't have a cat bc I travel too much and I am delighted when I hear hers jetting around and getting into stuff 💕"

Some neighbors love the sounds of other people's pets. Photo credit: Canva

"I had three Irish tap-dancing dogs (or dogs who thought they could riverdance 🤣) living right above my head for a year. So. Loud. 😭. They chased each other back and forth all hours of the day. I never fussed about it though. I got so used to it, I was actually able to tone it out and it was like ambient sound to me 😂."

"I used to hear my neighbors cats get the zoomies and it was so cute. You could only hear it if the apartment was completely quiet but it literally was the best kind of neighbor noise."

"As a cat owner, I'd smile if I got this note. Also I can tell it's not sarcastic because you said 'feets' — a clear and friendly sign of a genuine cat lover."

"I always feel bad when my dog plays sometimes.. she likes to stomp around with her toys. I asked my downstairs neighbor if he could hear her, and he said yes, but dogs can do no wrong. He always gives her a little treat when he sees her."

Pembroke Welsh Corgi Dancing GIF Giphy

"During covid lockdown and during stormy weather, my neighbor would use our floor's long hallway to run their corgi up and down for exercise. I absolutely loved to hear her exuberant pitter patters. She'd only make 3 round trips before tapping out."

"I was in a second floor flat and after over a year finally met the neighbor who lived under me (identical floor plan). She and I both had dogs, but she didn't know I had one. She asked if we had kids because she could hear some running around in the hallway. I told her it was when we played with the dog and she was genuinely so happy to hear that, she hadn't minded when she assumed it was kids and said she liked hearing it and knowing there were people (or a dog) playing. It was really heartwarming."

Meeting neighbors is the first step in building community where you live.Photo credit: Canva

In reality, there are things about communal living that might genuinely be a bother, and there are times when it's worth saying something to our neighbors to make them aware. But we can also choose the attitude we take to hearing the sounds of life around us, whether it's kids laughing and playing or cats romping around with their little thunderpaws.

There's something quite lovely about seeing someone choose to celebrate the joy of a cat rather than be annoyed by the kitty shenanigans upstairs. Sending a note like this is sure to bring a smile to a neighbor's face, making life in the same building more pleasant for everyone.

This note is a good reminder that showing kindness to our neighbors goes a long way toward building the kind of community we all want to live in.

"What's for dinner?" has been asked by kids for millennia, probably, and the most common answers depend on both where and at what time in history it was asked. In ancient times, people were limited to what they could hunt or gather. Medieval recipes look different than what people ate in the 19th century. And what our grandparents ate when they were children was different from what our kids eat today.

Obviously, people couldn't DoorDash Chipotle in the '70s, but when someone on Reddit asked people born before 1970 what they ate for dinner most weeks, there were some standard meals a lot of Americans clearly ate regularly growing up. Lots of meatloaf and beef stroganoff. Pork chops and chop suey. Convenient assistance from Shake n' Bake, Hamburger Helper and TV dinners. Canned fruits and veggies. So much Jell-O.

Here are some of the most popular responses:

"Overcooked pork chop, minute rice, canned green beans, canned fruit cocktail

Spaghetti with ground beef and sauce made from a packet (Durkee?)

Pot roast (whatever cut of meat was on sale) cooked with Lipton onion soup mix. Frozen peas. Canned peaches.

Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and canned green beans. Canned pears

Shake n bake chicken and scalloped potatoes from a box. Canned fruit of some kind.

On awesome days Chef Boyardee pizza mix from a box.

I liked LaChoy chop suey.

Always with a jug of milk on the table."

Meatloaf was a staple dinner.Photo credit: Canva

"So I think many of our moms went to the same home ec classes. Our house also had on rotation:

Goulash: It wasn’t what I have come to understand is Hungarian Goulash, but ground beef/spices/tomatoes.

Chicken Diane: Way overcooked chicken with rosemary, thyme and other seasonings.

Meatloaf: Yes, ketchup on top.

And the ever-present rice. Dad bought an aluminum rice cooker from his time in Japan and we had rice (he added soy sauce on top) 3x per week. The other side was baked potatoes.

The big treat!!!??? Chef Boy Ar Dee pizza from a tube on Friday once per month. Mom had a round aluminum baking pan and make dough, spread the included sauce on the dough, add the Parmesan Cheese (in the included packet). That was the biggest treat - and in all honesty I would go back to that day cause I miss my mom. Best pizza ever."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Hamburger patty or braised round steak, green salad, canned vegetable (peas, beans, corn, beets). Occasionally a baked potato. Sometimes my mom would toss chicken in a flour/seasoning mix and bake it and we'd have oven fried chicken--maybe once every couple of weeks. We got beef from a cousin so it was cheap, and chicken was expensive.

Mom also made spaghetti with ground beef, and beef stew with the tougher cuts of the cow. Oh--and liver--God how I........

© Upworthy