Currently my father’s Aunt Edith and her son, Jeff, are living in my childhood home. The house has been vacant since we left about eight years ago. It’s very odd to see someone else living in my house. The place is less cluttered and frankly more hospitable than when I was there.

I asked Jeff to show me my old room, which is his new room. He decided to show me his DVD collection, which he plays on his portable player (the main TV still has only VHS). You’ll note that Jeff isn’t quite like the rest of us, in a way that often stimulates negative thoughts in others. Me, I’m delighted that Jeff gets the utmost of pleasure from the mere company of others. Science might say I’m more able than Jeff, but if that ability is cynicism and a tunneled-vision, I’ll pass.