I know a super hero and I call him dad!

#EveryDayIsAFathersDay

From holding his hand, to looking up in awe each time he taught me something that otherwise seemed so difficult, to following his mannerisms, traits and ideology till I became an extension of his personality…life with him has come a long way.

So I have to make a confession. I have always respected my father for all that he has achieved on his own and gloated over compliments I got for being his daughter. Each time someone praised him for his acumen or his large heartedness, I owned it with elan. i have seen him pursue his goals with a passion, never-give-up attitude and admired his ability to serve the society. His unflinching principles and ethics make him unique. Yet this is how I described my father till about a decade ago. It was only a few years ago that I saw in my father, a dad and that too an inimitable one.

It took a loss for me to appreciate what I still have. Losing one parent, my mother, was a jolt. One that woke me up to the much taken for granted occupation of a parent. Something that I never could value even when I became a mother. The feeling of security that your parents cocoon you in, is like oxygen, invisible, impalpable and yet always present. They are the safety net that allows you the courage to do the somersaults of life fearlessly. I have often told my 25 and 17 year olds that I am here to catch them if they fall. My parents never told me that. But yet I knew, somewhere in my heart that they are always there for me. Me thinks, that certitude made me apathetic. Today I know better and see more clearly.

I treasure those little moments that I share with my dad. It helps that our work place is common. The 10 minutes that we spend each day talking about me, him and the world at large, makes both of us begin our day with a lighter heart. I walk each day into his chamber, not to talk to talk to him, but to steal a few of the almonds and walnuts he keeps in a jar at the side of his large desk. I have a feeling he gets them just for me. The times when he peeps into my cabin, sometimes just to ask me to join him for lunch and sometimes just to pull up a chair beside me, for a small tete-a-tete, are a part of my work life. I also treasure the moments of venting and arguments between us. His staunch belief in god and goodness, more so during adversity are endearing and perplexing in equal measure.

No one said life is said, but someone did say that love and blessings come in all shapes and sizes. Mine comes in the shape of my dad, bettered with age: his and mine!