From Buzz Lightyear, with love!
I’ve been going to my chiropractor for a number of years and a recent visit to his office came with an admirable story about a father’s love. At the end of our last session, Dr. Gordy showed me a picture of him and his five-year-old son, Travis, both wearing identical Buzz Lightyear costumes from the Toy Story movies.
“Great-looking costumes. This was Halloween?”, I asked. He said it was last week—the middle of April. He explained that his son had asked if they could dress up and march around the neighborhood. Dad agreed so they suited up and headed out the door. I remarked that this must have gotten them quite a bit of attention from drivers and others on the street, thinking to myself that I’d never have the guts to do that.
“Oh, yeah, we were definitely getting some strange looks from people, but who cares?”, he said. “There’s not much I won’t do for my son. Travis is my best bud, and he knows he can count on me. He has a big imagination, and at this age, he isn’t worried about what others are thinking of him. I want to do all I can to feed that seed of confidence so he’ll hopefully grow into a teenager and a man who doesn’t give in to doubt and doesn’t hold himself back from taking big swings. If dressing like Buzz Lightyear and marching up the boulevard with him is going to help make that happen, I’m happy to do it. It’s good for me, too, because it continues to show me I can be the type of dad that I didn’t have.”
I left the office with a deeper respect for Dr. Gordy. Through example, he’s instilling important lessons in his son and he’s grateful for what he’s learning from Travis.
Though I have yet to put on a costume, Dr. Gordy's inspired me to bring forth my own version of Buzz Lightyear and not hesitate to step out of my comfort zone or go out on a limb to meet the needs of those I love.
What about you? Do you have your own “inner-Buzz”? If so, how do you channel it to bring joy and love to those who matter most?
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Serenity Township
Thank you for the great post. It’s so inspiring to hear of such a wonderful father.
Slipstream
I think we all have a Buzz in us, but we let our busyness or our concern for what others might think override what we're feeling. Dr. Gordy could have come up with any number of excuses, but he listened to his heart and knew it was the best thing he could do in that moment and made a memory that both of them will remember their entire lives.
If we all listened to and followed our smart self, our wise heart voice, the people of the world would be much kinder and happier. Thanks for sharing this very sweet father/son experience.
Evangel
This is such a refreshing and heartwarming story about a father who's so enamored with his son he's willing to step outside the box to prove it to him.
Thanks for sharing!