A Few Daddy Moments

Eye-Opening Moments Unleashed are real-life stories of adversity, encounters, and perspectives intertwined. They are moments that can lift your spirits, give you some food for thought, or move you. For the introspective mind that likes to reflect, discover, and find solutions or meaning in a complex life, this is for you. In this episode you will hear about A Few Daddy Moments.

                                                                                       
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Transcript

Hello and welcome to episode #225 of Eye-Opening Moments Unleashed where you’ll hear stories of adversity, encounters, and perspectives intertwined. They are moments that can lift your spirits, give you some food for thought, or move you. For the introspective mind that likes to reflect, discover, and find solutions or meaning in a complex life, this is for you. I’m your host Emily Kay Tan. In this episode, you will hear about A Few Daddy Moments. 

A Few Daddy Moments

It was just another Sunday morning when I stuffed my dirty laundry into two grass-green nylon laundry bags with drawstrings so I could go down the street to get my laundry done. As I strolled to the laundromat, I suddenly had a thirst for a glass bottle of Coke. Just the day before that, my friend Max commented that since I did not like my name, why didn’t I get a name change? As I watched my dirty clothes spin around in the washer, a strange but warm feeling came over me regarding the laundry bags, the color green, glass-bottled Coca-Cola, and my name. All four had something to do with my dad.

I hardly ever lived with Dad, but I did live in the same house with him for two years as a teenager. We hardly had any conversation longer than five minutes in my entire life. We were never close, yet I was now remembering him and those four things that had something to do with him.

Dad owned several clothes-cleaning establishments. He had many grass-green nylon laundry bags. After living with him and some of my nuclear family members for two years, I voluntarily left to return to living with my grandparents. But before I left, I took two green laundry bags with me. I thought they could be useful. Forty-plus years later, I still use those same two laundry bags! My eyes popped out momentarily as I realized I had held on to something that belonged to Dad for forty years.

Was it because it was something that belonged to my daddy? Was it because it was green and it was my favorite color? Could it be Dad’s favorite color, too? My heart simmered a warm sensation because Dad and I could share the same favorite color. I didn’t know it, but the laundry bags, which are still in my possession, exposed the little girl in me who wanted to connect with her dad. I am glad to have the laundry bags because they make me feel like I have a piece of him with me. 

The most time I ever spent near Dad was at his cleaners one summer for two months. Behind the front counter, I gathered the dirty clothes of each customer, tagged them, and tossed them in their laundry bags to separate them from other customers. Dad walked by every so often like the boss that he was, checking that everything was in order. Sometimes, he would ask if I was thirsty, as our southern summers were sweltering hot, and the nearby dryers emanated oven-hot heat. If I said yes, Dad would open the cash register for a quarter to give me. Like a child, I beamed with joy to walk over to the Coke machine in front of the counter to get a glass bottle of Coke. As I gulped down a whole bottle in a few minutes, my thirst was satisfied, and I was pleased to have a moment of connection with Dad. 

It was only two months of the most quality time spent with my dad, but he unknowingly left me with his laundry bags (that I took) and the image of his bottled Coke machine to remind me I have a dad, and we did connect; however small the moments were.

Though I took two of Dad’s laundry bags, he did voluntarily give me something. I never gave it any value until my friend Max asked me why I didn’t change my name if I didn’t care for it. I always knew I didn’t care for the sound of my name. I knew of people changing their names but never considered changing my name. I thought it was the trouble I would need to go through on paper, but after responding to Max’s comment, I was clear why I never changed my name or would never want to change it.

Without Max’s knowledge, I silently responded to his comment. You can’t hear it, but I heard it loud and clear in my head. Though my response surprised me, I smiled with enormous contentment, for an eye-opening moment warmed my heart.

I said to myself, “I will not change my name because it is something my father gave me. When he was thinking of a name for me, he gave it some thought, and he gave it to me. Yes, Dad gave me something from his heart. I will take what little I can get and treasure it forever. Little Emily could not be more overjoyed to learn that her daddy gave her something just for her.

Key Takeaway: Though I was never close to my father, there were a few daddy moments for me to treasure.

Next week, you will hear a new real-life story called An Amazing Zen Retreat. If you enjoyed this episode of Eye-Opening Moments Unleashed, please text someone and ask them what they think about this podcast, or go to www.inspiremereads.com and leave a message. Thank you for listening!