I once knew a weatherman who told me he only had to be right 30% of the time at his job. Upon hearing this, I immediately tried to convince myself to go into meteorology (thinking I’d secure an easy paycheck). Although, I then ended up as a parent where Being With 30% of the time is good enough, even though it can feel like approaching hurricanes. In any case, relationships have weather, climate too, and the difference between partly cloudy and mostly sunny is subjective. Parenting is hard, and I now have a new respect for weather people.
On a recent sunny day, I was out for a family bike ride and passed a home where a father sat on a step outside the front door. The child was running to him beaming with excitement. I wish I knew why! And as I began to imagine the reason, the father smiled and welcomed in his child, with a warm embrace and a loving kiss. The child’s reaction looked to me like uncontrollable joy, his body jumping and bouncing. The father’s face could barely accommodate the smile. It was a moment of warmth the sun cannot take credit for. Was this a Bottom Half or Top Half moment? I guessed Bottom as I peddled off, but it didn’t feel like it mattered. Both their cups were overflowing. I rode home without a hint of concern that I’d miss the local news and weather, though as warmed as I was, I kept reflecting and wishing that I could have had that connection with my own father.
Registered COSP Facilitator, Spokane Washington
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