Questions: #30

If you're not familiar with this series of posts, and you want to catch up, the introduction is here.

Question #30: What is your happiest childhood memory?  What makes it so special?

I had a pretty happy childhood, but I have spent the whole day thinking about this question and wondering "but what was the happiest?  It's a difficult decision to categorize one event as happiest out of 18 whole years.

Remember a couple of posts ago, I explained that I recall memories in snapshots like a digital photo frame?  Well the still frame picture that continues to come to the front of my brain when I try to answer this question is at CSC with my dad.

I was probably 13.  My parents were fairly recently divorced and my relationship with Dad was strained.  I'm unsure the two things are related; I think many 13 year old girls have strained relationships with their fathers regardless of marital status.  Nonetheless, he was visiting one weekend because, as always, I was a stayover.

We were standing in front of the dining hall walking towards girls' camp, and he reached over and took hold of my hand.  I underreacted outwardly, but in my hormone riddled brain, I thought "my dad's proud of me after all." 

Is it the happiest?  I don't know. 

But it was pretty damn happy.