If you haven't met my Dad ... you wouldn't understand! My Dad, the quintessential man's man, the epitome of masculinity and strength ... having to deal with a blondie ... wanting a selfie ... with him, of all things! ...And that's just it, he does stuff like "selfie's" ALL the time because besides being a John-Wayne-of-a-man, he's also a DAD!
I've always admired my Dad! As a little girl, I remember feeling like my Dad was as invincible as those Super hero's! Invincible ... and incredibly talented! I watched in awe as he bowled, a strike after strike! I witnessed the painstaking and guided precision of his fillet knife in cleaning ALL the fish he caught! The perfected execution and trajectory of the horseshoe from his hand (never met anyone that could consistently beat him!) His continued ability to build the sturdiest and straightest of walls (I would know ... he built my house.) And his ability to troubleshoot and figure out most electrical and mechanical problem in a household of eight children! ... And as remarkable as all this is, his most redeeming quality has always been his good-natured, always-optimistic, glass-is-nearly-full attitude! A quality that has blessed me time and time again!
At six years old, I had the incredible urge to try my hand at becoming a cosmetologist! As I didn't have any regular clients, I convinced my brother (Mike) to let me have a try at his hair! Around this same time in my life, my Mom had perfected the art of ponytails! Two ponytails, one on either side of my head, with beautiful, hand-crafted ringlets at the bottom of each. Seeing me all beautified and done-up was a great joy for my Mom! A joy, I later realized, that was somewhat attached to those two, beautiful ponytails! So when I decided that experimenting as Edward Scissorhands with Mike's hair was not enough ... and turned the scissors on my own hair cutting off the very ponytails that brought my Mother such joy ... an official state of mourning ensued and my poor Mother almost couldn't speak to me about it!
Having cut the ponytails off underneath the elastics and directly next to my scalp, my Mom's only suggested option for salvage was to cut everything off and perm it! A perm that was so tight in curl that it was difficult to make out that the areas underneath the rubber bands where I had almost scalped myself. Driving home from the "Foxy Loxy" hair salon and completely deflated from the disappointment I had thrust upon my Mom...I relegated myself to the backyard! As I sat there on the swing, weighing my options of run-away or indentured servitude, my Dad pulled into the circular drive! A welcomed relief to the guilt I was feeling, I bolted to his two ton truck and jumped into his arms. One look on my face and he knew this was not the time to bring up my poodle-inspired hairdo!
With all the optimism he could gather, my Dad simply said, "Wow that's a cute little haircut! You look beautiful, my little sweetheart of the hills!" On that day, at that particular moment, my heart was so full of love for my Dad that I threw my arms around his neck and remained unmoved until he'd made his way into the house!
Now ... My Dad has never been to the moon (at least I don't think he has) and he's never ran a touchdown for the winning goal at the Super Bowl (pretty sure about that one) ... but that day I was reminded that in this sometimes negative world we live in, "some people may not believe in hero's...but that's because they haven't met My Dad!"
Happy Father's Day to a most wonderful Father!!!
With Love,
~your little sweetheart of the hills!
♦ Hope you'll share YOUR stories and photos with us at: nutshellstories@gmail.com.
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