Woman's Hippie Neighbor Demands That She Stop Hanging Her Kids' Clothes to Dry Because 'They disrupt my clients' chakra alignments,' She Retaliates by Reporting the Unlicensed Business to Authorities

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Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Dec 19, 2024 6:00 PM EST

Welcome, tea-sippin' sisters. The New Age spirituality movement really hit the West in the 60s and 70s but has steadily gained traction. Anyone who was frequenting book stores in the early 2000s might recall such titles as The Secret, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, or Be Here Now. You might recall going to a funky-smelling store to buy incense, "chakra stones," and mandala tapestries to hang in your room while following along with a yoga DVD. Nowadays, you can get your daily dose of repackaged Eastern spirituality by following TikTok gurus. 

While there nothing wrong with using these tools to delve deeper into yourself, it is possible to go too far and take yourself too seriously. After all, the Eastern spiritual practices that this New Age stuff is based off of is more about finding peace within yourself in a chaotic world. It is not so much about micromanaging things in your environment that are out of your control. In our story today, a new age hippie reprimands our protagonist for doing laundry during her mindfulness sessions, leading to a dramatic series of events that you can scroll down to read. 

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  • 01
    Last Tuesday, I was hanging out my kids' school uniforms, and Sandra comes marching over, telling me that I need to stop using my washing line on her "business days" because, and I quote, "The sight of common laundry is disrupting clients' chakra alignment."
    via KoolShooters | Pexels
  • 02
    r/MarkNarrations u/CouncilSally1 • 2d Neighbour drama -AITA for reporting my neighbour's "garden business" after she demanded I stop hanging my washing outside?
    via u/CouncilSally1
  • 03
    So I (34F) live on a council estate in Leeds with my two kids. We've got these small concrete gardens out back nothing fancy, but enough to hang - washing and maybe grow a few flowers. My next door neighbour Sandra (50s) moved in about 8 months ago and immediately started turning her garden into what she calls her "therapeutic wellness space."
    via u/CouncilSally1
  • 04
    At first it was just a few plants, which was nice actually. But then she started holding these "mindfulness sessions" three times a week where she charges people £30 each to sit in her garden, drink herbal tea, and do meditation. She's got about 8-10 people coming round each time, all squeezed into this tiny space.
    via u/CouncilSally1
  • 05
    Here's where it gets ridiculous. Last Tuesday, I was hanging out my kids' school uniforms (as I've done for the past 6 years), and Sandra comes marching over, telling me I need to stop using my washing line on her "business days" because, and I quote, "the sight and smell of common laundry is disrupting my clients' chakra alignment."
    via u/CouncilSally1
  • 06
    I told her to do one, obviously. This is a council estate, not Buckingham Palace, and I'm not paying extra for the tumble dryer just because her clients can't align their chakras next to my kids' PE kits.
    via u/CouncilSally1
  • 07
    She then started spraying this awful incense stuff over the fence every time I put washing out, which made all our clothes smell like a hippie shop. The final straw was when she started playing this loud "meditation music" with drums and chanting at 7am, saying she needed to "cleanse the energy" before her morning sessions.
    via u/CouncilSally1
  • 08
    I reported her to the council for running an unlicensed business from a council property (pretty sure that's not allowed). They sent her a warning letter, and now she's got all the neighbours calling me a snitch and saying I've "ruined a small business owner's dreams."
    via u/CouncilSally1
  • 09
    AITA for reporting her? I just want to dry my washing in peace without the drama ۵ 2,580 281 2 ☑
    via u/CouncilSally1
  • 10
    FretfulTrout278 • 2d NTA now I am American so I can't go based on UK laws but over here we have ordinances for noise and all that but I would check your areas laws about noises made before a specific time. She is being inconsiderate to everyone else ← Reply 232
    via u/FretfulTrout278
  • 11
    Violetsen 2d NTA - if she wants to start a business, good on her, but she needs to do it at a commercially zoned property. It's just that simple. On another note, why is it always the hippies that are the most toxic? Screw her and her spiteful incense blowing; she clearly isn't living the peaceful life she sells to others. Reply 100
    via u/Violetsen
  • 12
    Lower_Living2657 • 2d An observation I heard a while ago that stuck with me: "metalheads are nice folks cosplaying as mean, hippies are mean folks cosplaying as nice."
    via u/Lower_Living2657
  • 13
    It is so true. I have a few hippies in my extended family who are nice and generous people. But the most twisted, passive aggressive chucklef cks I have ever met were all aging hippies. To the point where it is a red flag for me until I learn the truth about someone. (All the metalheads I have known are big softies underneath the rough exterior. A few don't even have the hard exterior.) 1 11
    via u/Lower_Living2657
  • 14
    Horizontal_Bob • 2d Play stupid games, win stupid prizes NTAH ← Reply ↑ 37
    via u/Horizontal_Bob
  • 15
    MotherDuderior • 2d This neighbour gives us "hippies" a bad name. The spraying of liquids containing possible allergens over the fence onto children's clothing is despicable! A lot of essential oils are not meant to be applied to skin! Do what you'd like with this brief information. Time to go full on Mama Bear! Edited to add NTA Reply 383
    via u/MotherDuderior
  • 16
    BagelwithQueefcheese. 2d NTA i didn't know aligning chakras involved treating your neighbors like sh... Reply 19
    via u/BagelwithQueefcheese
  • 17
    classicalworld • 2d NTA. She shouldn't be running the business from home. Isn't that what Community Centres are for? Away with her 'music' and chanting to the welcoming arms of the Centre! ← Reply Ŵ 17 ♡
    via u/classicalworld
  • 18
    GirlStiletto • 2d PRobably best to invest in some cameras, especially for the back yard and fenceline. Catch her in the act of spraying into your yard and get her arrested for vandalism. Reply 15
    via u/GirlStiletto
  • 19
    My_best_friend_GH. 2d NTA if she hadn't come at you like she owned the place, none of this would have probably happened. But when someone tries to control what you do on your own property, well they get what they deserve. If anyone says anything tell them you have no idea what she's talking about, that she's the one demanding you don't hang clothes, throwing stuff on your children's clothes and playing loud music in the A.M, not you and she caused whatever happened herself. ... Reply 10 ♡
    via u/My_best_friend_GH
  • 20
    GroovyGrodd. 2d NTA - if she was actually all zen and crop, she wouldn't be bothered. Tell her to go meditate about it, realign her chakras, and try manifesting a new reality where she isn't a cr p y neighbour. ← Reply ↑ 9 ↓
    via u/GroovyGrodd
  • 21
    Hyacinth_Bouque⚫ 2d Why do the chakras need a background music score to align themselves? Can't they do it quietly? Reply Ĵ 6 ♡ Д
    via u/Hyacinth_Bouque
  • 22
    CouncilSally1 OP.2d To be honest I didn't actually mind the music too much apart from the time, it was just her attitude. ... ← 13 ↓
    via u/CouncilSally1
  • 23
    Hyacinth_Bouque⚫ 2d Absolutely. You'd think someone who is preaching inner peace and presumably has her chakras aligned would be a lot less prissy.
    via u/Hyacinth_Bouque
  • 24
    cintapixl • 2d NTA you are entitled to quiet enjoyment of your property, or whatever it's called where you live. I don't get why people who are breaking the law, don't try to fly under the radar. Reply 3 33
    via u/cintapixl
  • 25
    Apprehensive-Fox3187. 2d Nta, you were already nice enough not to report before her behavior got ridiculous, So she brought this upon herself when she started spraying peoples property with a spray of unknown contents without permission because she doesn't know if y'all was allergic to it before doing that,
    via u/Apprehensive-Fox3187
  • 26
    And then she started playing very loud music very early without asking beforehand if it's cool since it would be very loud to prevent issues, So no, you were very fare to her, before she just decided to take it too far, she can't be mad when she was given a chance and blew it herself. ... Reply & 2 3 23
    via u/Apprehensive-Fox3187

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neighbors toxic hippies Female Empowerment neighborhood-drama motherhood reddit story petty revenge relationships parenting entitled reddit thread red flag Reddit
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