Background

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Fay

This was one of my first posts when I launched Chubby Chatterbox last year. It wasn’t intended for Father’s Day, but it seems appropriate.

THE SHAPE OF THINGS


On our way home from the barbershop when I was a kid, Dad would take a moment to tell me what a great haircut I’d gotten, adding, “It’s because you have such a nicely shaped head.”

Dad was an extremely upbeat guy, always finding something positive to say, which couldn’t have been easy when it came to his chubby, non-athletic younger son. Still, it always made me feel good when he said it, and there’d be starch in my walk the rest of the day. Dad is gone now, and nobody ever compliments me on the shape of my head, although my wife sometimes tells me not to let it get too big.


A short time ago I was traveling on the light rail when a young man sat down opposite me. He was dressed in leather and covered in tattoos. His numerous piercings made me wince inside. But his hair! His stylist must have been having a seizure at the time. There were bald areas, bristly patches, and lengthy strands dyed in colors I associate with a bruise. His rough appearance seemed to match his personality when he growled at me, “What the f#@k are you looking at?”

I flashed on my dad, how he could always find something positive to say. I leveled my gaze at him and smiled. “You certainly have a nicely shaped head.”


He didn’t pull a shiv out of his boot. He surprised me by returning the smile. When he exited several stops later he said, “Have a nice day.”

I miss my dad. If you are still blessed to have your Dad, give him a call and tell him how important he is to you. Do it for those of us who can’t.


HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

29 comments:

  1. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
    Fathers are blessing .
    Lovely post, Stefhen . Thanking for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy Father's Day to you, and all great fathers out there in blogland!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your dad may have saved you a beating that day! lol

    ReplyDelete
  4. A man of wisdom your Dad, a wisdom that has lasted to this day. Great post Stephen.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I always wonder about people that are dressed or groomd in a most unusual fashion and then want to know "What the fuck are you looking at!" Your responce is one that I think I might steal. Thanks to your dad for that.

    Happy father's day

    ReplyDelete
  6. I miss my daddy, too. He never told me I had a nicely shaped head. Instead, he would tell my mom all the nice things he heard people say about me, knowing she would pass them on to me, starting with "Daddy says . . . . "

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy Fathers' Day, Chatterbox.

    That is a great post. I love that you have fond memories of your father. Every post you do about him makes me think he was a really good dad. Maybe the guy with the tattoos needed men in his life to say positive things to him. At least for one day on the train, you filled the need.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great post! And happy Father's Day to you, too~

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a perfect response! All thanks to Dad. And you know I wish I had a book of perfect responses. Maybe YOU should write one. *smile*

    Happy Father's Day CC!

    ReplyDelete
  10. My mother has kind of the female version. Though not so inspiring and uplifting. When asked her opinion of a less-than-flattering haircut, she simply smiles and says, "It will grow."

    ReplyDelete
  11. a kind word often dispells anger...very nice sentiment!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sound advice about dads, Stephen - I've been to see mine this morning with a "Miserable Old Git" card and a giant Toblerone! He is now in his 80s but still hanging on in there.

    And I love the statement, "there'd be starch in my walk for the rest of the day." I think I'll pinch that one!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Neat story. And "a soft answer turneth away wrath."

    ReplyDelete
  14. How many times could a few nice, friendly words make someone's day. Your Dad sounds like he had the skill mastered!

    ReplyDelete
  15. We need more people...fathers or not...like your Dad!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I lost my father long ago, so happy fathers day to all the great dads out there.

    I wouldn't have been as kind as you. I would have just stared at him. Just saying.

    Have a terrific day and happy fathers day too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. This was a nice post indeed. Good to be calm in the face of aggression. I'm not much good at that!

    ReplyDelete
  18. You had a really neat Dad. You used one of his strong points to deal with the snarly kid on the bus.
    Hope you had a nice day.

    ReplyDelete
  19. you do have a nicely shaped head on your picture!
    Happy Fathers Day!

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is a perfect Father's Day story! I love that the young man appreciated the compliment. Most people do. Don't you wish we'd all be kinder to each other--much more often! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Happy Father's Day; and yes, i called mine.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Great post. I talk to my dad about once a week. I will miss the days when I can't anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thanks for the appreciative and delightful post. Hope you enjoyed Father's day.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Cherish your time with either parent. They're not there for ever :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Nice post and what a nice hat.
    Cheers, Sausage...

    ReplyDelete
  26. Excellent. I agree...dad's have magical powers to make us feel good. Happy Father's Day my friend. :)

    S

    ReplyDelete
  27. Fathers are like a perfect mixture of criticism and acceptance. A wonderful short yet meaningful post btw. Happy Blogging! and a belated Happy Father's day mr 'delightful' chatterbox ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  28. Another fine tale. I'm one of those who can't and I miss my Dad, too. Belated Happy Father's Day to you, Stephen.

    ReplyDelete