Look It Up

Long before info was a keystroke away, in those ancient pre-Internet days when the SJG was a shy school girl, I had to find answers the hard way. I had to look it up in a book. Imagine the hardship. Open a heavy tome with my tiny delicate hands? Even then, there must've been a better research tool. And there was. I liked to consult the walking encyclopedia known as Daddy. Geography, history or God forbid, math, he'd have the answer. But get a load of this, people. He expected me to find the answer on my own. Or at least try. Trying was big with him. "Look it up, Lita," he'd say. Lita was short for Carolita, as in "little Carol." I know. So cute I could weep right now. But I'm trying to stay strong for the blog. So. What was this "look it up" thing about? Was he trying to drive me insane? No. He didn't want me to take the easy way out or give up on myself, which was my inclination, especially when it was tough. He believed, wholeheartedly, that I was capable of solving the problem on my own. Sometimes his strategy worked. I'd trudge back to my room, resentfully, and figure it out on my own. The moment was kvell-worthy, I admit, and "character building." Other times, the exercise became futile. It backfired. He blamed my stubbornness. I blamed the movie star governor of California (what, you think Arnold Schwarzenegger was the first?) for ruining the educational system.There were tears. Door slamming. More tears. Man, I really hated when my daddy cried. But I got the message. I kept looking it up. Sometimes I found the answer. Sometimes I came up blank. Either way, I learned something.