Thank You Mr. Cookie

Happily, I write from that vulnerable transition stage of my life, the one where I don’t yet have financial security nor do I have plans to dig myself out of potential bankruptcy. The stage where I am taking a year to find myself, climb to the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs- reaching the ultimate goal of self-actualization. However, I realize embarking on a yearlong adventure to South America is not traditional. And I feel nothing but lucky and privileged. This is the ultimate opportunity!

But before I embark on this mighty experience, and all the while seeming ungrateful, there is someone I must thank. This someone has been behind the scenes of my life for 15 years now doing all the nitty-gritty work, and rarely ever receives so much as a small token of appreciation. Not a day goes by that parents, siblings, and friends don’t overshadow him, but he remains quiet in his modesty, never saying a thing. He has been a friend, a brother, a dentist, and a decision maker. But most importantly, this individual has made it all possible. He has done the work. Although 7 years younger than I, he has reared me to become a strong, confident individual. One who can leave the home and not crumble at the site of adversity, rather embrace it as a challenge. I cannot yet prove that he is my biological father, but the day awaits when technology is advanced enough.

Allow me to publicly introduce and thank Cookie.

For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure to meet Cookie, you should know that he is a cockatiel (species of parrot family, native to Australia).

I thank Cookie for the long talks, the showers, the teeth cleaning.
I thank Cookie for his honesty, his critique, his input.
I thank Cookie for his whistling, his loans, his patience.
I thank Cookie for his open-mind, his ideas, his ability to fix toilets.

Thank you Mr. Cookie!