We live in an old house, so now that the world is back to work, we have several home maintenance projects underway. Charlie is painting, Mark is working on the roof and gutters, and Plumbing Masters is replacing the air conditioner. Ben is maintaining his traditional role of watching everyone work. In Ben’s mind, he is an essential worker. He keeps a lively stream of food-related conversation going, and loves to bring sandwiches to his buddies. When Sophia mowed the lawn this week for the first time, he stationed himself in the driveway so he could cheer for her and tell her she was doing a great job!
When he was little, and our neighbors, Cullen and Amy, were having a drain put in their back yard, Ben spent hours standing on the steps of the monkey bars in our yard to have a better view of all the digging Drew was doing. Ben knew Drew, who had been a student of both Cullen and Phil, and who had helped Phil on some home projects, but Ben preferred to call him Digger Man. Ben dispensed equal parts encouragement (“Go, Digger Man!”), observation (“Whoa, that’s a lot of dirt!”), and heckling (“You missed a spot!”). Watching others toil was such a popular form of entertainment for Ben, that he was dismayed the day he saw only Cullen in the yard. “Hey, Cullen! Where’s your Digger Man?” I don’t know what Cullen’s response was, but I’m sure he wanted to say that he had sent his Digger Man out for supplies to build a higher fence!
Though I don’t usually think of Williamsport as a tiny town, Ben has a way of bringing out the Mayberry resident in everybody. Charlie isn’t just a college student painting our house. He’s the son of the midwife who delivered Sophia, and the brother of Ben’s friend, Eli, and a part of a family we’ve been friends with for more than 20 years, and the guy who brought him Cheetos and Dr. Pepper for his birthday. Mark isn’t just our roofer. He’s the guy who has saved our slate roof, and who always asks about my dad, and who would sometimes stop by when we were at work, just so he could check on our elderly neighbor that he had gotten to know while working here, and who came just to bring Ben a birthday card. Drew wasn’t just Digger Man. He is one of 5 siblings that all took classes from Phil, and the brother of Kendra and Kaylin (who took care of Ben after school for several years), and who now works at Lycoming College as a development officer.
So, if your home improvement projects seem a little lackluster, if your Digger Man needs a little encouragement (or a little heckling, as Digger Men vary), if your kid won’t mow the lawn without a little fanfare, consider the services of Ben the Observer: Essential Worker.
