Superman as a Father

I remember the first time someone asked me about my dad's disability.  I was in the first grade and we were gathered in the school gymnasium for an assembly on bike safety.  I was wearing a little woolen gold jumper with a plaid skirt, and my mom had given me the rare permission to wear her little scottie dog pin on the jumper. 

My dad owned a bike shop and had been asked to speak at the assembly.  Those were in the sweet days when it was still a little neighborhood store, before it became the most successful bicycle retail business in the tri-state area.  I was so proud of my dad (even though he called me out on stage for not putting my bike away at night and leaving it outside to possibly fall victim to thieves.)

As my dad finished up his talk and began to move off stage, a classmate turned to me and asked, "How come your dad walks so funny?"  I looked over at my dad, confused.  He was walking like he always walked. It looked normal to me.

But it wasn't "normal".  Dad had polio as a child, struck with the disease just a few years before children started receiving the Salk vaccine.  By the time he was 16 he had gone through a long series of operations to try to stabilize the affected leg and salvage his ability to walk.

I now know that the reason it took me so long to know about Dad's affliction is that he never, ever complained about it, and he never allowed it to keep him from living a rich, full life.  My father spent his entire life overcoming adversity, playing on a battlefield that was not level, and working just a little harder than everyone else to accomplish everyday tasks.  And because of his hard work, determination and creativity, he succeeded in every aspect.

In his lifetime, my dad has built a thriving business from the ground up (he was recently honored as a Founder at the 40th anniversary of that business); he has paddled a kayak across Lake Michigan, traveled around the entire world, raised four children, written and published adventure novels based on his own adventures, and so much more -- and he has done it with optimism and verve.

When you grow up with Superman as a father, you grow up believing you can do anything.  I find myself frequently asking, in the face of a new project or challenge, "How hard can it be?"  This comes from my very real belief that all things can be accomplished somehow, a belief ingrained in me from childhood on. 

So yes, I may be the most unlikely person to ride across the State of Washington on a bicycle.  It is completely new and while exciting, a bit overwhelming and daunting, especially when 25 miles at a time is a struggle right now. But fortunately for me, I have the example of how my dad has lived his life to guide me and keep in my mind the unfailing confidence that with hard and consistent work, this too can be accomplished.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.  And thank you... so much.