My brother Thad and I went to visit my dad and June during the summer of 1979 in Zwiebruken, Germany. During this visit, June planned an amazing trip traveling throughout Germany and France. We visited castles, danced with Oom-Pah-Pah bands, experimented with new foods, and traveled the Austrian countryside in a little green Capri. I remember stopping and having a lunch of fresh bread, cheeses, and grapes as we soaked in the gorgeous scencery.
On our trip to France, we traveled with a tour group on a bus. The trip was long and the bus was crowded. Like a true teenager, I did my share of complaining to my dad about being bored and uncomfortable. He told me to "shake it off and move on."
Our trip took us to a stop at the palace of Versailles, 10 miles west of Paris. While walking through the beautiful gardens we stopped for one of the days many photo ops in front of a beautiful hedge. Stepping up on a small retaining wall, as instructed by my father, I smiled for a "Cheryl pose," which if you know me is complete with hand on hip and cheesy smile. My dad instructed me to step back just a bit in order to catch just the right angle. Without knowing that there was about a 5 ft drop behind me I did as I was told and went straight down into the headge.
My dad pulled me out from the hedge and examined my scratches and cut knee. I'm sure, being a 16 year-old, I was more embarassed than hurt but my tears flowed heavily. Expecting lots of sympathy and coddling, I didn't get much. My dad looked at me and told me the that life would be full of ups and downs. After assuring that I was not seriously injured, he simply stated "shake it off and move on."
In the last few years, specifically as my dad was suffering through his many treatments, I discovered that I would regularly tell myself this throughout my daily life struggles because they were nothing compared to his. From this point on, I will try harder to honor this and do a little less complaining while looking at life more positively.
"It just doesn't get any better......" ~Love you Dad