Today, May 23/2013 is 140th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Not only did my brother-in-law serve with the Mounted Police in the outposts of the Canada, a popular T.V. Show, Due South, glorified the life the Mounted Police. The main character embodied courage, goodness, resolve and dedication, just the qualities to inspire one of my little boys for about 4-5 years of his life from two and a half till seven-years old.
This was not some passing fancy, no this was an out-right obsession with not one but three heroes, the Canadian Mounted Police, Zorro and Batman. Daniel saluted all three with his self-styled uniform of a brown felt hat and black barn boots, a cape and a Batman sweatshirt. This costume was his daily attire for years. He had to wear it. not only that, he was in character for most of the day. Daniel rode our old horse like a combination of a Mountie and Zorro, and never merely walked but leaped and jumped as if he was soaring through the air, just like a super hero.
As our second youngest, Daniel was born with a zest for living. This was obvious with even a quick glance at his baby face. With his eyebrows raised in surprise, eyes wide open to see everything around him and lips smiling with glee, Daniel was a delightful infant, toddler and young child. Actually his temperament at twenty has not changed much at all!
Daniel had a marvellous imagination, creating dramatic play scenarios like intense sword fightswith invisible villains. He tried to imitate Batman’s ability to fly. I caught him just in time when he was three, as he slung a leg over the banister, so he could sweep down and save a hapless victim of crime. After that incident, I convinced him to jump off the fourth step of the front hall staircase. Honestly that little boy jumped countless times every day, black cape billowing behind him. One afternoon, a doctor passed us in a hospital and smiled at my son’s outfit,
“Oh my, what do we have here, Batman?”
Daniel took a flying leap, cape billowing behind him again and answered,
“Oh no, I’m Batman Foevaaaa….”
Another time, as we sat in a doctor’s waiting room, four-year old Danielbacked up and then crouched low like a runner’s preparing to sprint towards the plate-glass window. Shocked, I called out,
“Daniel, what are you doing?”
My four-year old son adjusted his tense stance and said,
“I am going to run and leap and smash that glass with my feet! Then I’ll fly through the air.”
However,Daniel did get a few chances to really fly when his older brother’s friends came out to the farm. Matthew’s friends would play catch throwing this little guy instead of a ball. With his little legs tucked, arms clutched tightly around his bent legs, the strong teenagers would toss my son between each other!!
It was the teenage sleepover that provided Daniel with his most memorable flying feats. On early Saturday mornings, he would run from our big farm kitchen, down the hall and then launched himself into the air to land on all the teenage bodies strewn about the family room. A series of groans and moans joined Daniel’s gales of laughter as he yelled,
“Come on guys, it’s time to get up!”
