{"id":21238,"date":"2026-09-22T22:11:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T22:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/?p=21238"},"modified":"2026-09-22T22:11:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T22:11:23","slug":"my-upstairs-neighbor-threw-used-tea-bags-onto-my-balcony-twice-a-day-so-i-finally-taught-him-a-lesson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/?p=21238","title":{"rendered":"My Upstairs Neighbor Threw Used Tea Bags Onto My Balcony Twice a Day \u2014 So I Finally Taught Him a Lesson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For weeks, my upstairs neighbor Greg threw his used tea bags onto my balcony twice a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">7 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">9 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like clockwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At first, I assumed it was accidental. I picked them up and threw them away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then one landed on a white towel I&#8217;d left outside and left a huge brown stain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I went upstairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Greg said. \u201cI\u2019m half asleep. I just flick it over the railing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He promised it wouldn&#8217;t happen again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next morning, another tea bag landed on my balcony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I gave him three more weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then one landed on my chair and ruined the cushion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I went upstairs again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou&#8217;re still doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He looked at me and laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou live underneath. That&#8217;s how buildings work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then he added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou&#8217;re lucky it&#8217;s tea bags and not something else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was the moment I stopped asking nicely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next morning, I sat on my balcony with my coffee and waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At 7:04, Greg threw another tea bag over the railing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this time, it hit a clear panel I&#8217;d installed above my balcony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tap.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It slid down into a tray I&#8217;d placed underneath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Greg looked over the railing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat the hell is that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy new tea-bag catcher.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou built that because of a tea bag?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cI built it because of 43 of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His face changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After that, something strange happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tea bags started landing around the sides of the panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One landed beside my plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another hit my balcony door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another landed in a flowerpot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I took pictures of every one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Suddenly, Greg couldn&#8217;t claim it was accidental anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I saved the photographs, the damaged towel, the ruined cushion cover, and the dates and times of every incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few days later, Greg knocked on my door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTake that stupid thing down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt looks ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI checked the building rules. Everything is within my balcony.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He pointed at the panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou&#8217;re doing all this over tea bags?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo. I&#8217;m doing it because asking you nicely didn&#8217;t work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then he made one mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFine. I&#8217;ll just throw them farther.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A neighbor standing nearby heard him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was joking,\u201d Greg quickly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I knew I had enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At our next residents&#8217; meeting, I brought my photographs and the damaged items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Greg immediately complained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt&#8217;s a tea bag!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The building manager looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt&#8217;s still your garbage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then he saw the photographs showing the tea bags landing farther away after I installed the panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhy did they suddenly start landing in different places?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Greg had no answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My neighbor spoke up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI heard him say he&#8217;d throw them farther.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Greg admitted it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The building manager gave him a formal warning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also ordered Greg to reimburse me for the damaged items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But then came the part Greg really didn&#8217;t expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He had recently requested permission to install privacy screening on his balcony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because he&#8217;d admitted deliberately throwing things from that balcony, the manager postponed his request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Greg was furious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou&#8217;re denying it because of tea?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo,\u201d the manager said. \u201cI&#8217;m postponing it because you&#8217;ve admitted deliberately throwing objects after being asked to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the meeting, Greg confronted me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou made me look like an idiot over tea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo. I showed them what you were doing. You handled the rest yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He walked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And for the first time in weeks, nothing fell onto my balcony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not at 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not at 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not the next morning either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After four days, I took the panel down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My balcony looked normal again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My plants were safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My new cushion stayed clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I stopped looking up every time Greg opened his door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A week later, a delivery driver asked me to accept a package for Greg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Normally, I would have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;d done it many times before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this time I said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSorry. He&#8217;ll have to collect it himself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That evening, Greg confronted me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou always used to take my packages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo now you&#8217;re refusing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI&#8217;m not refusing anything. Your deliveries aren&#8217;t my responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He stared at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I opened my door and said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI used to do favors for a neighbor who respected my home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then I went inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I never wanted a feud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I just wanted my balcony back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I learned something important:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Being a good neighbor doesn&#8217;t mean accepting bad behavior just to keep the peace.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes, the best response isn&#8217;t anger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s documentation, patience, and letting someone&#8217;s own actions speak for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And after 43 tea bags, one ruined towel, and a damaged cushion\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>my balcony was finally mine again.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For weeks, my upstairs neighbor Greg threw his used tea bags onto my balcony twice a day. 7 a.m. 9 p.m. Like clockwork. At first, I assumed it was accidental. I picked them up and threw them away. Then one landed on a white towel I&#8217;d left outside and left a huge brown stain. I &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21238"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21240,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21238\/revisions\/21240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehre.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}