My mother once told me a little story about my first encounter with Stan, my father who raised me since I was three years old. When I first met him, I said in Korean, “Daddy is like a cat.”
My mother explained to me (when I was older) that she was surprised that I had said something so unusual. She then rationalized that this comparison had probably stemmed from the fact that his eyes were big and bright blue—possibly like a neighborhood cat that I might have observed before.
Anyway, right after my comment, Stan apparently smiled and asked my mother what I had said. Since Koreans from her generation and back had a strong need to be polite, she lied I mean replied, “She said you’re handsome.” My dad apparently smiled, and a new relationship began.
Continuing…from a section of a new post called, “A Diary of My Developing Psychic Abilities” dated October 30, 2012:
I just realized that it’s interesting that I didn’t say, “Daddy looks like a cat,” (in which my mother’s reply would fit) but rather, “Daddy is like a cat.” My dad’s own characteristics did match several of the cat animal symbolism:
- Clever – He had a lot of street smarts and great people skills, and he was good at the art of persuasion and simply being a survivor in a tough world
- Secretive – He had an affair for many years without getting caught, although he eventually did. He was the only one who knew about the family finances; he never shared them with my mother or even later my step-mother.
- Mysterious – He was very unpredictable; we never when he would disappear for a while. He was also able to become very dark as well as very light (i.e., he had a very dark side to him as well as a very loving and compassionate side).
- Intelligent – Although he worked hard, he also set aside time to eventually earn a Bachelor’s degree in his fifties. He also self-educated himself a lot by reading various books and manuals. But most of all, he had emotional intelligence, which was underrated back in his time.
- Watchfulness – He was very observant. Once, when I was in elementary school, my dad took me to Osan Air Force Base to eat dinner. For some reason, my mother wasn’t there, which is unusual. Anyway, I never noticed it until my dad pointed it out. He asked, “Bobbie, why do you lift your pinky finger up when your eat your french fries?” I would hold my fries with my fore finger and thumb, and sure enough, my pinky would point straight up. I forgot about it for a couple of decades until my current husband reminded me again. Even today, I still don’t know why I do that.
- Independent – Having to grow up in foster homes, my dad learned to become very strong willed and minded. He was even like a Jack of all traits; no matter what broke…he managed to fix it.
Perhaps I intuitively knew my dad’s nature. I never had any cats (let alone any other pets) throughout my childhood, so I don’t know why I would compare him to a cat. Or, maybe I’m looking too deep into it and giving myself too much credit. Maybe I just simply saw a cat with blue eyes, and he reminded me of it. I like to believe that every perfect piece of life’s puzzle comes together beautifully. For me, the unusual makes more sense at times.
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