My dad traveled all the way to Canada in an attempt to put food on the table. (Too bad he’s not aware of that local grocery store mom stopped at the other day.) Because of this heroic act, mom and I have had to live without him for the last week and we’ve been lonely. So, last weekend, in an effort to distract me from the missing-my-dad-blues, Mom actively sought out opportunities to rediscover my smiley face…
At the Hmong New Year celebration, I found my smile through connecting with good friends and getting into a wrestling match with a balloon! (I won. Twice.)
The following day, we traveled out of state (to Minnesota, which is just across the river, but Mom says “out-of-state” sounds more adventurous)…
…there we found my smile again, inspired by an impressive parade! Since my last parade appearance, I’ve learned to keep candy that’s thrown at me instead of throwing it back. But this time around, instead of being a passive observer, I attempted to join the parade! It wasn’t the cute, furry dogs that lured me in. Nor was it the marching band, the pony, or the skateboarders. The thing that got me was the beautiful, green, John Deere tractor. I screamed when I saw it. I just couldn’t help myself; it was love at first sight. I quickly chased after this impressive machine so we could live happily ever after, but Mom caught me and ruined that dream. Rats! One day I’ll be able to outrun her, but until that day comes (probably sometime next month), I’m left to only wonder about the tractor that got away.