the other day, as my friend chase and i were sitting on his porch, we began talking about the roles our fathers play in our lives. how appropriate with father's day quickly approaching! i explained to chase that i felt my life would have been less complete without my dad's presence. i remember very clearly the day i told my second grade teacher that "my daddy was a superhero." it's only now, at twentytwo, that i realize just how accurate that statement was - but instead of the ability to fly, he empowered me to fly with my own wings - seizing every opportunity that came my way. and though he may never solve world hunger or find the cure for cancer, he was there every time i scraped my knee. and every time i felt my world crashing down around me, there he was, equipped with a kleenex box and an encyclopedia of reasons why i still "kicked ass."
chase's perception of his father seemed to parallel my own. he views his dad as the iconic figure that helped shape him into the man he is today. "he's the hard-working, loving, determined champion i always saw him as." he went on to say that he didn't always understand his dad's tough love, but he also mentioned that he realized that if his dad pushed him, it was because he only wanted the best for his son.
chase then paused for a long time and feeling an exacerbated silence, i asked him what was on his mind. staring out into the sunset, he takes a long deep breath and says, "how cool is it that we respect our dads so much.. especially when there are people out there that have no concept of who or what a father is?!" - and as i looked out as the blending of colors in the sky, i simply and quietly said, "you know what, chase? i think we got pretty damn lucky."
_dedicated to wolfgang ritter, my superhero.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment