Distorted Truth

This is a true story. Well, it’s my version of the truth, anyway. My neighbor would have a different tale to tell you. Here's my side of it ...

As I was taking out the garbage one night last November, I was shocked to see a 10-foot-high tower of flames out of the corner of my eye. My first panicked thought was that our neighborhood was on fire.

The flames were dangerously close to our wooden fence and the accompanying trees along our property line. Hot sparks from the fire floated up toward the leaves and branches, and I knew that if those tall trees caught fire it was a short jump to our roof, which would send our house up in flames. (This is the house we’d just moved into the previous week.)

Once my initial shock subsided, I saw that the giant fire was coming from a neighbor’s fire pit, which was built at the far back end of their yard, a good safe distance from their house but just a few short feet away from our wooden fence and trees.

I couldn’t sleep that night, envisioning our house being burned to the ground.

The next morning, I visited the neighbor and pointed out that she was in violation of multiple Charlotte fire codes. According to the regulations, a recreational fire pit must be at least 25 feet from any structures and combustible materials (including a wooden fence and trees). The fuel area (meaning the pile of stuff you’re burning) cannot exceed two feet in height; her pile was stacked like a great big teepee. What's more, you can’t use recreational fire pits to burn dead leaves, brush, boxes and other debris. She was in violation of these three local safety codes and others.

The neighbor didn’t like what I had to say, but I saw no more fires in the fire pit for the next eight months, so I thought the issue was resolved. I was wrong.

A month ago, she had another fire going in the pit which she still hadn’t moved. This time, I presented her with a printout of the codes from the Fire Marshall’s office. This really ticked her off. She responded by telling me that I’m a lousy neighbor with no people skills – and she said that if I want her fire pit moved to comply with the fire code, I should pay to move it.

I told her I’d let the fire department sort this out and that’s what I did: I called to report her non-complying fire, and they sent a fire truck to her house.

In this confrontation, she clearly thinks I’m being an unreasonable jerk. In my view, she's been an inconsiderate neighbor who's violating the law and putting our home and our lives in danger. Which brings us to the title of this reflection: Distorted Truth.

In any disagreement, each person is convinced they’re right and they believe the facts are on their side. What one person sees as solid truth, the other person sees as a twisted version of the truth – like the distorted door and window shown in the photo above, which I captured as a warped reflection in a sheet of Mylar.

What my neighbor views as a harmless source of enjoyment for her backyard get-togethers is seen as a reckless, law-breaking endangerment in my eyes. Which version is the truth? Which one is a distorted truth? My neighbor and I will never see eye-to-eye on this. But I’ll sleep easier knowing that I have the Charlotte Fire Marshall’s safety code on my side.