Jim's Take
Actually… they already did.And they do it every day. I grew up with a pretty good sense of time.And with time came distance.And with distance came measurement. I could look at something way off and tell you how far away it was—a couple hundred yards… a mile… close enough to matter. I spent a lot … Continue reading They Can’t Fool Me
There are several differences among the people living in the Sumstine household. Now, even though the blog is called BecauseJimSays—and yes… LITERALLY—I’m not saying my way is the right way. I’m just saying… there are differences. Eating, for example, is a complete free-for-all in this house. We do not eat the same. Me?I’m a complete … Continue reading More Differences
There are perks to being a girl dad. There are perks to being a dad in general. But with perks… come penalties. And sometimes those penalties leave emotional scars.Deep ones.The kind that resurface… every time you drive past a drive-thru. For most of my life, I believed chicken nuggets and chicken tenders were basically the … Continue reading As a Girl Dad – Part 6
Tall people know they’re tall.Short people know they’re short. I’m old.And I know I’m old. “But you’re only as old as you feel.” Bite me. I’m old.And I know it. But stupid people…Do they know they’re stupid? MY GOD — that’s an entire BecauseJimSays post right there.It practically writes itself. But back to me. Because… … Continue reading Do They Even Know
There are some things about me you might not know.And then there are things you absolutely know… whether you wanted to or not. 1 example I am a loud sneezer. Not “oh, excuse me” loud.Not “polite tissue dab” loud. I’m talking:sonic boom meets gunshot meets small controlled explosion. And just when you think it’s over……it’s … Continue reading Sneezy
Life is hard.Not “stub your toe and move on” hard.I’m talking existential dread with a side of breaking news alert hard. EVERY SINGLE DAY !!! Everywhere you turn—news, politics, religion, social media—it’s like walking into a room where everyone is already yelling…and nobody remembers why. Hate.Hate.HATE. I hate all the hate. And then…the other night… … Continue reading Cheese and Crackers
Recently we made the bold, financially responsible, wildly unexciting decision to switch from Amazon Music to Spotify. Why? Because I operate on a highly sophisticated household budgeting system known as:“Whichever one is cheaper right now wins.” Turns out Spotify is cheaper.WHO KNEW? My wife knew.Which is why we switched. So now I’ve been riding shotgun … Continue reading Talking in Your Sleep
I certainly had one. To this day – I still admire him. And I use the term “him” oddly, because I know there is no real “him”. He wasn’t real. But the idea of “him” was always real. And yes, I still admire him. Nothing ever got him down. Nothing bothered him. Any bad situation … Continue reading We All Had Heroes.
Every once in a while, life taps you on the shoulder and says, “Hey… pay attention to this part.” The last three or four months have been full of those moments. For Christmas, my daughter Kate—20 at the time—gave me a gift she could barely contain her excitement over. And when she told me it … Continue reading On a Serious Note:
Things I Never Expected to Say as a Girl Dad Before I had daughters, I assumed fatherhood would involve saying things like: “Don’t touch that.” “Get down from there.” “Who broke this?” Normal dad phrases. What I did not expect was the number of sentences that would come out of my mouth that make absolutely … Continue reading As a Girl Dad – Part 5
My Take on Life and Events 