Me and my father have a very interesting relationship. He was always very demanding of me and I was always very headstrong. If you want me to do things, I wished to be sat down with and explained stuff before I decide if I really want to do it. Something which I would say my father took a very long time to learn and I let’s say took a very long time to understand that it is not always possible (ok we established a middle ground with help of my mother).
In my father’s recent words I was ‘a child he and my mother played with even in their imagination’, me being the first born - it has really taken me over two decades to somewhat understand him and above all his expectations. I have a feeling that I will learn rest of the secret when I become a father myself (if I do).
Back to my father at the moment. What not many people understand and unfortunately not many “philosophers” and “social commentators” say, not only my father has seen me grow up but I have been a witness to my father’s evolution as a person for last these many years of my existence. And in this, such a wonderful phenomena, which so many people overlook; I have found immense respect for my first friend, teacher, mentor and an ever present feeling of comfort.
Last year when someone trashed my car (it had to be written off) in Glasgow, even knowing that my father is in Pakistan and can do nothing about it, and of course I didn’t want to get him worried - I for some weird reason just wanted to talk to him and just ask me how I am doing? I called up, didn’t tell him anything but those 5 minute of talk were enough to get me going through anything.
What sort of parents you get is one of those things where you have no say at all! You just have to be lucky, and I am glad that me and my siblings had that wonderful luck at this very important thing of life!
I am not sure if I am the son my father wanted me to be, but I am glad that I have him as a father on whom I can always count on (insert picture of Superman here!). I sometime however do not understand how he can hold this much compassion and sense of forgiveness for others in himself (not sure if I can ever develop something even close to that).
Once again thank you Pa for everything. We all love you and wish to thank you for everything you have done and continue to do everyday. It is a pity that I couldn’t spend this birthday with you as you are in USA (SKYPE should sponsor our family).
Talk I had with him earlier today:
Me: Religiously speaking if someone dies at water, he/she is a martyr.
Pa: Yes.
Me: So if someone dies because of this horrible summer in Lahore, is he/she a martyr or an idiot?
Pa: *chuckles* perhaps half of both!
Thanks Pa :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
p.s. See you made me make a personal post on my blog!
p.s.s. I used to have this Chemistry teacher in high school who would just trash the hell out of me. She was like this hyper-active elder sister who just wanted you in particular to learn the whole Britannica. One day I said, Ma’am can I guess your birthday? She was like okay. I said 2nd of June. And she was like how did you find that out? Well because you are as hard on me as my father!
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wanderonwards said:
Alhamdulilah
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um-er said:
Happy Birthday to your Dad and I can relate to almost the entire post. I was going to make one like that soon.
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umalik posted this
