I had just figured out that the man I was meeting was “Jim the Undertaker” when he told me to sit down so we could talk.

Jim was holding court in the lobby… sitting in a high-backed chair and talking to those around him. He told me how people called him the unofficial Mayor at Garden Spot… and you could tell this was a man who enjoyed thinking and getting things done.

“Jim the Undertaker” was indeed retired from the funeral home he owned and in another era it would have been easy to see him as the helpful Mayor making things happen in his own small town.

He asked me where I dined… I innocently replied, “In the Cafe”. Jim smiled wryly and his eyebrow curled as he leaned forward and shook his head just a bit… “Bob… no, no, no… you eat in the Cafe… you dine in the Dining Room… you’ll have to try it some time.”

I walked away smiling not only because he was a great guy… but because I could so easily see myself saying something exactly like that.

If you have ever looked at an older adult and thought that nothing was going on behind the glasses and the grey hair… don’t you believe it. There are a lot more Jim’s here… and they keep me on my toes.

P.S.   I did try the dining room after Jim suggested it. I met the self described, “Go-Go Girls”. Five women who eat lunch together most days and call themselves “Go-Go” because they always order dessert to take back to their apartments. How can that not make you smile?

This entry was posted on Friday, August 17th, 2007 at 10:25 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.