Buff Daddy
Dear Maribeth,
I think most of us at one time or another have accidentally walked in on our parents doing something we shouldn’t see. My experience involves my father running naked on a treadmill.
Use your imagination - even the dog is traumatized.
How can I remove this vision from my head?
Signed,
Just Can’t Seem to Get Past It
P.S. He’s no spring chicken
Dear JCSTGPI,
Oh my! Have I mentioned the importance of professional counseling when the circumstances warrant it? Let’s see what advice we can get from the tarot on this uncomfortable situation.
Your cards are the Four of Pentacles, the Three of Pentacles and the Queen of Pentacles. While pentacles rhyme with testicles, we won’t go there. Part of your healing process involves letting go of this troubling vision. All pentacles in your reading indicate a very real, very down to earth situation: a visual reality check that you probably did not need.
The Four of Pentacles shows a man covering himself up as much as possible and trying to protect his valuables. Your Dad definitely did not intend for you to see him that way. He would probably opt to remove that memory from both of your minds if he could. Have you ever thought about the trauma he felt having that experience? Holding on to the memory can’t help either one of you in any way I can imagine. Keep in mind he is a good Dad with nothing but good intentions and expectations for you to think the best of him. No one is perfect, and so, people make mistakes. When you think about it, running naked on a treadmill actually sounds hazardous.
The Three of Pentacles makes me think the treadmill wasn’t as attractive to your father after The Incident. It looks like he is considering other plans as ways to accomplish his goals. All of the figures in all three of your cards are covered from head to toe in layered clothing. He may have become much more self conscious of his body and recognized the need for modesty, even at home. He obviously wasn’t expecting you, but I’m sure he takes responsibility for what happened.
The Queen of Pentacles is you looking down at the situation from a new perspective. If you can realize that you were in a safe environment even though a startling thing happened, you can start to let go of your fear of witnessing any such behavior in the future. This leaves you with a funny story to tell, but no traumatic long-term effects. Forgive him for his indiscretion and tell him to leave a signal on the door if you shouldn’t enter, for any reason. Privacy and respect will reign. And hopefully, the horrifying vision will fade.
