Growing up, I was never much for super heroes. I didn't like batman, never cared for superman, and detested spiderman. I always knew that super heroes weren't real. No one drives a batmobile, flies through the sky in a red cape, or shoots spider webs from their palm. They were fictional, and they didn't keep me safe. However, I was lucky enough to have my own real life super hero; my daddy.
He didn't fight crime or kill the bad guys, but he chased away the monsters and fought off the germs. He took care of scraped knees and broken hearts. He didn't have a cape or a mask, he didn't even wear suits. He didn't have to. He was bad ass enough without them.
Instead of saving the world, my dad saved me. Over and over again, without fail, he saved me. Every SOS or distress call I sent out, he came running to my rescue. It didn't matter what I had done or what happened, nothing was too big for my dad. His love never failed me, there was nothing I could do that could make him love me any less. For that, I will be forever thankful.
He didn't drive a fancy batmobile, he drove a 1998 Ford F-150. He sacrificed things he wanted, so my brother and I could have everything we wanted. I can't remember a single time he bought something for himself without thinking about it for at least a week. If I asked for something, he did everything he could to get it for me right then. My dad is the most selfless person I know.
My dad didn't catch criminals or shoot bad guys, he caught fish and shot deer. He was just an average, southern man. But to me, that is beyond any average there could ever be. It's not a bad thing to be proud of your Southern roots, your heritage, and he was the definition of what it meant to just be yourself. He's the true outdoorsman. The hunter. The protector and defender. He could spend all day in a boat or a tree stand, he loves it. I grew up at fishing tournaments and that's not something I am resentful for. Because my dad was just a GOOD man, I learned how I was supposed to be treated. I set my standards high because if a man isn't even close to the man my dad is, then he is not a man that's worth my time.
In my opinion, my dad beats out every super hero Marvel could ever come up with. They can't make someone so bad ass, who loves so unconditionally, or so someone who is so selfless and only fights for the good. They can't create someone to scare the monsters out from under my bed or teach me to fix a flat tire. They can't create a real man. They can't create my dad and for that I will forever be grateful.
Dad, you are my real life super hero.
