An Ode

It's an odd form of patriotism that I have recently discovered within myself.  Not unlike the heart-swelling reverence that I feel anytime I see a man or woman in military dress.  Quite similar actually.

My dad worked for the electricity company for almost 30 years before he retired 10 years ago.  He was a lineman, which meant that he climbed poles or rode a lift bucket to fix power lines tens of feet up in the air.  After every storm that rolled through the OKC metro area, dad wouldn't even wait for "the call" that meant he'd be working all night long.  Instead, he'd be out the door after a kiss for mom and a hug for me. It would still be raining, but the wind and lightning would have subsided.  My childhood memories are flooded with images of his big orange O G & E truck heading out into the dark night, en route to get the power back on - to a building, a neighborhood, a town or even the entire city.

In the early years of dad's career, the linemen could wear any type of long sleeve shirt (dad's was usually an immaculately-ironed flannel print) with work jeans (very tight Levi's) and steel-toed boots.  It was the later years that I remember better, the flame-retardant, company-issued khaki long sleeve shirt with still-too-tight Levi's.  A detailed-oriented man, dad's shirt was always tucked-in, with a brown belt to match his brown boots.  Even though he now has a desk job from his home office, when I think of dad "at work" I catch myself absurdly imagining him wearing this unique uniform, even though it would be ridiculous for a successful business man.

My dad, the lineman, circa 1980.

After living outside of Oklahoma for the past few years, my deep rooted pride surprised me last week as I cut through OKC along I-40.  I spotted a caravan of familiar bright orange O G & E trucks heading west, presumably to El Reno, which had been devastated the night before by a ravenous tornado. The trucks were on a honorable mission.  And my heart delightfully swelled knowing that my dad committed so much time to the exact same cause: getting people's lives back on track.  Now that's something to be proud of.