May 18, 2018 – Sierra Foothills, California

God, I hope to be half as good of a father.

…if I ever am a father. It’s a Friday night, and Meibao brought Cassidy (a new “WWOOFer”) and I to a local musical performance. The band is some sort of rock/bluegrass blend with a heavy harmonica feature. I’m surprised by their talent, but not with the dismal crowd size. The show is therefore only so enjoyable to watch.

Until this family showed up.

Midway through the show, a family of six appears. They seem to know some of the others in the crowd (typical of such a small town show). Almost immediately, they all start dancing to the music, highly increasing the energy of the room. My first thought upon watching the dad skillfully dance with one of his daughters? This man is a great father. Maybe part of my fascination is due to my underwhelming dancing prowess, but I can’t help but feel impressed with the man as well as happy for the children. Twirls, flips, swings, slides…this family tears up the dance floor.

But that’s not all. The most compelling sight occurs when this man goes over to a young disabled girl that is wheelchair-bound. Holding her hand, he pulls her out onto the dance floor and proceeds to dance with her, twirling her around in her chair as if it weren’t even there. I honestly have to fight the urge to tear up as the happiness radiates from them both. Having significant experience working with individuals with mental and physical disabilities, this moment hits home for me.

God bless this man.

At one point, he even greets Meibao, who has been dancing on her own throughout the show. He takes her by surprise and pulls her in for a quick dance. Cassidy and I hear her laughing from across the room as the man ends the dance with a dip. She thanks him and compliments him on his abilities. It would have been worth the time just seeing her enjoying herself. I assume a woman with so many responsibilities rarely gets a chance to let loose like this, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to witness it.

“To be more childlike, you don’t have to give up being an adult. The fully integrated person is capable of being both an adult and a child simultaneously. Recapture the childlike feelings of wide-eyed excitement, spontaneous appreciation, cutting loose, and being full of awe and wonder at this magnificent universe.” – Wayne Dyer