A Pat From Me to You

Where I grew up in the north country, people are...shall we say...reserved. It is best to not show too much emotion lest the neighbors fear the cold has truly gotten to you and you end up at the next high school hockey game sitting by yourself...

alone...

stuck to your frozen chair...

just little ol' you sitting all lonely in your neon green Artic Cat coat and those pants called "russels" that, seriously people, went out of style 20 years ago. All this because at the last game you decided to get frisky and give a round of hugs when the Prowlers scored a goal. Hugging? What were you thinking?

No, up north we have what is called the "pat." It's a one handed staccato like tap on the back and it is performed when saying "hello" or "goodbye," in consoling someone or in celebratory fashion. It is also the most acceptable public display of affection. You can show emotion on your face but be careful to not overdo it, you might scare the person. You are also allowed to vary the tempo of the pat to your own liking. When Brent first met my parents it did not take long for him to catch on to our sacred tradition of the pat and he is now able to understand the true love that is shown to him every time we visit. He is, unfortunately, still a little too exuberant in his patting technique.

Imagine my glee when this week while carrying Clare around she started giving me a pat. It started out as just a couple on my arm but today it was continuous patting on my shoulder almost every time I held her. She had just the right amount of expression too, I could fully understand the meaning of her pat as if she was saying, "I love you Mom and I really appreciate all the diapers you've changed and the hours we've spent together during milk time. Thank you too for the pureed food. Those peaches you made were something else." Oh thank you Lord that you've put some good Norwegian understanding in that head of hers!