He did things that only Superman could do
Things that sis and I could not believe were true.

Harry Connick Jr., He is They Are

My Superman  

My dad has always been my superman.  There wasn’t anything that he couldn’t do.  He could fix anything and build something out of any kinda material.  He rebuilt our entire house!

He could climb mountains and swim oceans.  He was the coolest dad on the block because he raced motorcycles.

So cool, in fact, it saved me from being stuffed into a locker in grade 8.  Turns out the grade 12s had heard of my dad and thought I was cool because of it.  Whew!

Superman Ages Too

He was there for me and helped me out in funny and special ways.  Like when I moved into my first apartment.  Since it was on his way to work, he’d stop by in the morning to make sure I was up and wish me good morning.

But superheroes age.  And with age some of their super powers fade.  Some only slightly, some drastically.  Eventually even super heroes slow down and need a helping hand.

Fading Superpower

Today, my superman needed my help.  Dad’s heart is in need of a renovation and so I took him to get his pre-operation interview.

At first, all people see is an “old man”.  I can tell because they talk to him in that condescending, baby talk kinda way that people tend to use when talking to older people.  Junior pointed this out to me.

Talking to Older People

Junior said, “I noticed that when older people get together, they treat each other like adults and talk to each other like adults.  Yet when younger people talk to older people, they treat them like their little kids.  They talk to the older people like they’re little kids!”  Junior is very astute.

So, when we arrived for his pre-operation meeting, I was dad’s back up.  No one was going to treat my pops like a little kid.  Didn’t they know they were dealing with a super hero!?!??!

Up and Away!

The young lady at the desk hesitated when dad answered her straight forward question with a smart aleck remark.  But it was only for a second.  Then, to her credit, she joined in.  And so it went with the rest of the nurses.

Pops made jokes and had the nurses laughing.  He threw in a few smart ass comments and proved that his wit wasn’t slow.  At first, the younger male anesthetist wasn’t sure if pops was joking or just senile.  Eventually he did clue in that dad was pulling his leg and rolled with it.

He kept up a good banter with the blood technician who absolutely loved his sense of humour.  That usually is the case.  This is one of dad’s super powers.  Dad is good at making himself feel at ease by putting other people at ease.

Walking, not flying

After one department was finished with him, we had to walk about 4 blocks to get to the next department and the next test.

This is where my superman had a bit of trouble.  I walked gently next to him and let him do it in his time.

What struck me is that most people that met him today would only see and “old man”.  My dad isn’t old.  Well, yes, maybe physically, but he has done more things that I will ever do.

Young Superman

He left his home and travelled to the edge of the known world.  He worked with bandits and those men fleeing the inquisition of the Catholic Church.  He was marooned on a island and survived life in a logging camp.  He was part of a damp coast that was still wide open and a bit wild and he rolled right with it.

When the technician took pops in to get x-rayed, he started to do the slow, “I’m speaking to a child” kinda talk.  I watched the very young man’s face as dad verbally threw him a fast ball.  At first he was taken aback but then relaxed as he realized my pops was joking.  This wasn’t some old guy, this was a tough nugget.

Still Mighty

Even though my dad may need a bit of help every now and then, he’s still a mighty man.  Pops is still Superman despite having to use a cane. After all, even super heroes should be allowed to retire and relax.

What if Superman had a beard – he’d look like my Dad

Superman with Beard