As we left the food court, my dad walked with the same quiet confidence he always had, his steps slow but steady. “You know,” he said to me, “people surprise you when you give them the space to.” I realized then that the moment wasn’t about a teenager’s hair or an old man’s past—it was about understanding that every generation carries its own ways of being bold. And sometimes, all it takes is a simple conversation to bridge years, soften judgments, and remind us that wisdom and curiosity can meet in the most unexpected places.
