Happy Father’s Day!
Where do you start… all the things that make me the man I am I first saw in my Dad. Yeah we are different in some regards but… not that many now that I think about it lol.
I never developed my dad’s love of sports then again I had him for a “hero” so no amount of jumping or throwing or catching was really all that impressive. My dad seemed to me to be the strongest, smartest, most awe inspiringly bad ass man I knew. After 47 years, meeting all sorts of folks, am pretty much still of the same opinion.
I have some awesome memories of stuff we did lol… Those times when we got away and the Father/Son dynamic would blur to moments of just being friends. I knew way back that I was never gonna have a better friend than my Dad. That is probably one of the best things he did for me – gave me moments where I was more than just the annoying kid. I guess it was the first time I experienced a kind of mutual respect. He spoke to me like an adult and made me feel like I had a brain and was expected to use it.
One of the most valuable things I learnt from Dad probably was learning how to cope with fear. Part and parcel to “becoming a man” I suppose. Specifically not to be afraid of what I didn’t know or had not done. I for sure learned how to master myself in that regard.
Another big thing I learned was more like something I didn’t hear much of – the word “can’t”. It seemed like my Dad could do everything – electrician, plumber, engineer, mechanic – you name it. So it seemed to me that if you took the time, did a bit of research, gathered the right “stuff” that you could do anything you damn well set your mind to. No crazy idea has ever really seemed totally out of reach – impractical and dangerous maybe – but never undoable!
Dad taught me a lot. I learned not to put false limits on what I could accomplish. I learned to question any limits really and learn why they existed. I learned that respect must be earned not conferred via a title or position. I learned that talk is cheap and real intention is conveyed through action.
Last but not least I got my sense of humor, to the delight of a few and the chagrin of probably more than a few, from my Dad. Suffice it to say that there are parts of my life that probably could have been written by Mel Brooks and we will leave it at that.
Hope you have a great father’s day Dad!