A Tribute to the Best of the Best

Daddy,

I don’t remember the first years of my life

But I know it was cradled in your love.

Old photographs and recordings remind me of that.

Small toes next to your big ones

Tiny fingers curled against your strong chest

Surprise me how small I once was

How fragile

Daddy,

I remember your big hand enveloped in mine as we walked together

(and now my hands are as big as yours)

To buy those secret treats that mother forbade me from having.

I remember my knight in shining armour when you rescued me from her justified wrath

And the sincerity of your apologies when you lost your temper at me and saw me cry.

(I’m only human, my love. Sometimes grownups make mistakes, too)

I remember the silly, guilty look when I demanded explanations to my “lost” favourite candies

That I had artfully

(as stealthily as an eight-year-old considers)

Hidden from you

I remember the goofy grin that you make as you wipe away those incriminating pieces of evidence (of chocolate or otherwise) on your face

And I smile at the fact that this is something you still do

(never change, daddy)

Daddy, I remember

From the eyes of a wide-eyed child,

The depths of your mind seemed to stretch as boundless as the universe

As you explain to me the reasons for the blue in a blue sky

Or as you spin an exciting story of China’s historical past

Or as you guide me through a daunting writing assignment, stringing words together in an elegant manner that I could never fathom to master

And although

You don’t seem like the omniscient giant I gazed up from a child’s view anymore

You still have so much to teach me,

And I am forever humbled by your humility to the nature of man

And to the immutable forces of nature

And although

You can no longer raise me to the sky like you used to

(make me fly, daddy! As high as the sky!)

Or march me around on your strong shoulders

You still stubbornly take my suitcase whenever I come home

And take all the grocery bags even though my two hands are empty

(insisting it’s no big deal)

Rubbing the back of your head

Self-consciously complaining about your thinning hair

And although

You are no longer completely in touch with all parts of my life anymore

(and often interrupt me to ask for the definition of my recently acquired jargon)

You still always listen to me

Attentively

With that one functional ear

And smile when I tell you about my new life experiences

Laughing when I tell you about my naivety

Nodding solemnly when I unroll my frustrations

And commending me for taking it all in stride

In the way that you are, you look up medical articles and read through them diligently

So that you can have things to talk about with me

And you always remember to think of me

Whenever a relevant neuroscience-based piece of new flashes you by

Reminding me that you still are the attentive baba who knows my heart best

And daddy,

No matter how old you get

You will always mean the universe to me

In my eyes,

You will always be loving giant who shields me

In all the ways you can

And even when you lose all your hair

You will still be the best and most handsome man in the world

Because you will always and forever be the best man in my life