Mr. Jim

Mr. Jim lives two blocks away. My kids and I see him at least once or twice a week when we walk home from school. We'll walk by while he's pulling weeds with a new gadget he picked up at the hardware store ("these things never work, but they're fun to try") or raking up dead grass to put down new seed. Without fail, he stops what he's doing to ask my two "gentlemen" about their day at school or if baseball season has started yet.

Mr. Jim is probably in his mid 70s and has lived in the same house with his wife for 40 years (and his yellow lab Mabel, who hasn't been around for 40 years). He raised his kids in that house, and they always had grandparents around, since Mr. Jim's in-laws lived about three houses away (he's a stronger man than I). When his daughter's marriage ended, she moved a block away, so Mr. Jim had the favor returned and his grandkids nearby.

While in that house, Mr. Jim has seen elections, wars, recessions, booms, and busts. He's seen Columbus grow from a cowtown to one of the 10 best places for Gen X to live. He's seen schools, libraries, pools, and parks be argued over, demolished, rebuilt, and used until they become argued over again. And after more than 40 years of battling, he even got to sign the petition for sidewalks to connect his street to the schools (which is why he had to re-seed—"the city never puts down good grass"). He has lived through neighbors moving into nursing homes, and others having babies that grew up to be parents themselves.

Maybe it's just my fatherly bias, but I'm pretty sure Mr. Jim likes my boys. They're not always at their best during our walk home after a long day at school, and he gets a good laugh when they argue, sword fight with sticks, or argue over who collected more acorns and buckeyes from his yard.

One beautiful spring day, we stopped by and even Mr. Jim noticed with a laugh that the boys were "more ornery than usual." Despite walking down tree-lined streets, they managed to argue over the same stick. I shared that they're so fun and I'm so lucky to have so much time with them... and that they, like all kids, can also be utterly exhausting. His advice?

"Just don't blink."