The Rubik's Cube was a hot ticket in the early 80's. I was thrilled when I got one! I remember getting so excited when I would finally get two sides to manage to be the same color. Still, there were two more sides I had yet to conquer. I was six years old and growing ever so impatient. One day I had the master plan to finally get rid of this anxiety I was having over not being able to make all sides their destined little brightly squared colors. The squares were stickers that I learned could be easily manipulated. So, I did it...I managed to carefully remove the stickers and place them all in their properly aligned spaces. I had a successful Rubik's Cube sense of achievement! I remember showing my parent's what I had done except I left out the small detail about me rearranging the stickers. My dad was puzzled but he believed me and was happy for me. I carried that false sense of pride around for a few days until guilt set in. I couldn't understand why I felt so crummy....why Captain Crunch Cereal didn't have the same crunch and playing with my Holly Hobby easy bake oven just seemed to come up flat. I was tormented...and then I knew...I felt it...the Rubik's Cube stared me down and I came face to face with the truth. I had lied. I lied to my parents...I lied to my Dad. The man I put on a pedestal and held with the highest regard and respect. I lied to that man. I felt awful, embarrassed, humiliated, and like I had betrayed my best friend. I knew I couldn't carry this weight anymore so, I marched (ok, inched) down the hallway to face my jury. I fessed up. I told my dad what I had done. The look he gave me was one I will never forget and very impressionable. He looked at me, sighed, and said..."You lied. Melody, I need you to know one thing. Whatever you do in this life and in this world, I need you to always be honest with me. I may not agree with what you have done but, I'm the only one that will always be there for you no matter what you've done. I will fight for you and support you but I need you to always be honest with me." From that day forward I can honestly say that I never lied to my Dad again. I might not have volunteered information to him but when he asked, he always got an honest answer. He always knew if I even tried...I think he always knew about the Rubik's Cube but waited to see if I would say something. I've found myself telling my kids the same thing. Honesty is a foundation for unconditional love. It's hard to be honest sometimes. Can't say that I've been perfect at telling the truth to everyone but, what I can say is that no matter what, the truth really does set you free even if it means just being honest with yourself. My inner six year old turmoil became realigned again and I moved onto bigger and better cereals that included Count Chocula and Atari had Centipede. Life was on track again. I really did accomplish the Rubik's Cube game shortly after my confession but by then the victory didn't seem as as sweet.
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