I call my dad "Pops" when we aren't at work. When we are at work, I call him by his first name. Sometimes when we aren't at work I call him by his first name just to mess with him. He'll get annoyed and then we'll both laugh.
Yesterday I was at the bank down the street from my office chatting with the teller. I see her once every few weeks while I make a deposit for work. Right before I was getting ready to leave she asked if I had a dad I worked with. I told her I did, and she would know him if he came in singing "Aaaaaaaamen! Aaaamen, Amen, Amen." This is the diddy he sings so often, it doesn't even annoy me any more. He also does this little white man's overbite jig while shaking his fists in the air (I showed her an example). She immediately said, "Yes! Yes! Yes! That is him! He's the best- every time he comes in he makes us all smile and laugh. You are so lucky!"
I am. I know that and am thankful for it. I couldn't be prouder than to hear a stranger acknowledge how great my dad is.
I think I know why he is so great. He never gives up. He's the most determined person I know. Even though he has cancer for a second time and work has been awful, he keeps pushing through. A guy that works for us says that my dad could be in a pitch dark room, but Pops will find the one tiny speckle of light and run toward it. He's probably the most optimistic person I know.
Today he came to my office to catch up for less than two minutes.
We chatted,
Then he said, "alright- I gotta go"
As he got up, he paused, stared off for a min...took a deep breath,
gave a fist shake into the air...and nodded at the distance.
I was like..."Pops, what was that all about??"
He said, "I was just getting myself ready for the next challenge" and walked off like it was nothing.
*he literally (fist)pumped himself up
That is why my dad is uniquely awesome.
