It’s natural to long for what we once had, especially if we know we can never get it back. We tend to remember the good times and wonder where they went. Jimmie Fails goes to a house and paints it, despite the constant objections of the couple living there. He just hates to see it in disarray. One might wonder why Jimmie is so interested in this particular house.
He grew up there.
Jimmy spends his much of his time working at a nursing home or hanging out with his friend, Montgomery. They live with Montgomery’s grandfather. Jimmy and Montgomery go to the house when they feel certain that the husband and wife won’t be there.
One day, opportunity knocks. The house is actually owned by the wife’s mother, or at least was. When the mother dies, the house is now in dispute and, more importantly, unoccupied. Due to the situation, it could sit unoccupied for years, giving Jimmy plenty of time to squat.
The problem with a drama is that it’s never that easy. If it were a comedy, Jimmy would have found a way. Maybe he would have won the lottery. Someone would have found some clause in a long-forgotten contract that would have set things right. Even the squatting might have come through.
Jimmy is not a man in control of his circumstances. He was just a child when his parents lost the house. Now that he’s older, he’s denied access by the current occupants. When that obstacle goes away, he’s presented with more obstacles. It would seem that any attempt to look for help only leads to someone pulling the rug out from under him.
Add to that the fact that his neighbors would hold him back. The grandfather and Montgomery would seem to encourage him, but Jimmy doesn’t seem to have many options. There’s pressure from outside the community, but there’s pressure from within, as well. The four or five guys that Jimmy sees every day deride Jimmy for being too soft. He dresses better than them. On the other hand, he’ll never have the millions of dollars necessary to buy the property. Even when he promises to do everything he can to get the money, it’s not enough.
Perhaps the hardest part of growing up is realizing that no matter how hard we work, we don’t always get exactly what we want. Sometimes, we can. Sometimes, it means coming close or finding something else that would give us joy. Like the Rolling Stones once said, you can’t always get what you want. That doesn’t mean you have to focus solely on what you need. It just means you have to decide what’s important and come to terms with what’s possible.
He grew up there.
Jimmy spends his much of his time working at a nursing home or hanging out with his friend, Montgomery. They live with Montgomery’s grandfather. Jimmy and Montgomery go to the house when they feel certain that the husband and wife won’t be there.
One day, opportunity knocks. The house is actually owned by the wife’s mother, or at least was. When the mother dies, the house is now in dispute and, more importantly, unoccupied. Due to the situation, it could sit unoccupied for years, giving Jimmy plenty of time to squat.
The problem with a drama is that it’s never that easy. If it were a comedy, Jimmy would have found a way. Maybe he would have won the lottery. Someone would have found some clause in a long-forgotten contract that would have set things right. Even the squatting might have come through.
Jimmy is not a man in control of his circumstances. He was just a child when his parents lost the house. Now that he’s older, he’s denied access by the current occupants. When that obstacle goes away, he’s presented with more obstacles. It would seem that any attempt to look for help only leads to someone pulling the rug out from under him.
Add to that the fact that his neighbors would hold him back. The grandfather and Montgomery would seem to encourage him, but Jimmy doesn’t seem to have many options. There’s pressure from outside the community, but there’s pressure from within, as well. The four or five guys that Jimmy sees every day deride Jimmy for being too soft. He dresses better than them. On the other hand, he’ll never have the millions of dollars necessary to buy the property. Even when he promises to do everything he can to get the money, it’s not enough.
Perhaps the hardest part of growing up is realizing that no matter how hard we work, we don’t always get exactly what we want. Sometimes, we can. Sometimes, it means coming close or finding something else that would give us joy. Like the Rolling Stones once said, you can’t always get what you want. That doesn’t mean you have to focus solely on what you need. It just means you have to decide what’s important and come to terms with what’s possible.
