Trash Day

On a regular Wednesday morning, Nan was taking the garbage cans to the curb when our next-door neighbor walked over and asked if she had a second.

We’ve been friendly for more than 20 years. They raised three kids, all younger than Eli and Jesse. They knew each other, but were never particularly close.

“I don’t know if you know this, but my kids have changed their names,” he said. "Olivia now goes by Liv. And Elijah goes by Eli.”

He told Nan that when Elijah was a freshman in high school and Eli was a senior, Eli always said hello whenever he saw him on campus. Even though they weren’t friends, he made Elijah feel seen.

That’s why Elijah wanted to go by Eli.

“That's really powerful,” Nan said. “Thank you for telling me.”

When Nan told me the story, we had two reactions.

Five years later, it’s crazy that we’re still hearing stories about the way Eli made people feel.

It never gets old.

Our next-door neighbors also now have two kids named Liv and Eli.

Liv Eli.

Eli Liv.

That's going to take some getting used to.

October 2026