More than anything, when I hear about a dad getting sick or injured, it hits me like a car that we are not invincible. Ever since I was a little girl I've had it in my head that daddys are supermen - they can handle anything and they never falter. Dads are the ones who take care of those who are weak, but they themselves are never weak.
So you can imagine how confused I am when my dad gets a cold.
I know it's unrealistic, but I can't help but have this mindset. Maybe it's because my dad is the strongest man I've ever known - there's nothing he can't lift, fix, improve, or design. He knows how to build an entire house, remove any splinter, rewire any electric system, fix any car, and still be home in time for dinner at 5. He has never once said no to me when I ask for money, even though I'm 20 years old and I can certainly afford to pay for a movie myself, and though he hasn't the faintest idea about the technicalities of a triathlon or what I'm actually studying in my Phonetics class, he listens patiently when I vent about my troubles or tell him about my day. He claims my cookies are Martha Stewart worthy even though they're hard as rocks, have way too much salt, and are practically burned all the way through. He taught me how to canoe a rapid, parallel park a suburban, put a worm on a hook, and fix my bike. He's the reason I know how to tape off a room for painting, change the oil in a car, shoot a gun, and a start a fire...you know, all the things it takes to be a completely independent woman. Without him I would have never found my love of nature and the outdoors, and though I know he hates animals, he's the one who let me have a thousand animals running around my house growing up.
Sure, a sloth walks faster than him, he meticulously reads all directions twice through, and is nothing more than absolutely puzzled when sitting at a computer, but that's what dads are supposed to do. He's the glue in my family. He's borderline workaholic, but there's no way I or any of my family would be anywhere near where we are without his constant support and patience. It's because of him I know how to work my ass off to get exactly what I want.
So when I hear about a dad being anything but in peak condition and ready to take on any obstacle, it jolts me like nothing else. It's hard for me to conceive my dad being anything but absolutely perfect.
love love love,
me
So you can imagine how confused I am when my dad gets a cold.
I know it's unrealistic, but I can't help but have this mindset. Maybe it's because my dad is the strongest man I've ever known - there's nothing he can't lift, fix, improve, or design. He knows how to build an entire house, remove any splinter, rewire any electric system, fix any car, and still be home in time for dinner at 5. He has never once said no to me when I ask for money, even though I'm 20 years old and I can certainly afford to pay for a movie myself, and though he hasn't the faintest idea about the technicalities of a triathlon or what I'm actually studying in my Phonetics class, he listens patiently when I vent about my troubles or tell him about my day. He claims my cookies are Martha Stewart worthy even though they're hard as rocks, have way too much salt, and are practically burned all the way through. He taught me how to canoe a rapid, parallel park a suburban, put a worm on a hook, and fix my bike. He's the reason I know how to tape off a room for painting, change the oil in a car, shoot a gun, and a start a fire...you know, all the things it takes to be a completely independent woman. Without him I would have never found my love of nature and the outdoors, and though I know he hates animals, he's the one who let me have a thousand animals running around my house growing up.
Sure, a sloth walks faster than him, he meticulously reads all directions twice through, and is nothing more than absolutely puzzled when sitting at a computer, but that's what dads are supposed to do. He's the glue in my family. He's borderline workaholic, but there's no way I or any of my family would be anywhere near where we are without his constant support and patience. It's because of him I know how to work my ass off to get exactly what I want.
So when I hear about a dad being anything but in peak condition and ready to take on any obstacle, it jolts me like nothing else. It's hard for me to conceive my dad being anything but absolutely perfect.
love love love,
me
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