Six Decades on Earth~ Lessons from my Dad

Today, my dad turns 60. I don’t know why it’s hitting me so hard, but 60 just seems so old and my dad acts anything but old. I guess it’s just shows me how fast life can be lived! And boy, has he lived life! I am not sure he could pack any more into these 60 years, but I know he’ll pack just as much into the rest of his life!! Thanks to my grandparents, Jane and Ken, for making him the person he is today.

When I stop to think about all that my dad is and means to me, I kept coming back to all of the traits that make him, him. There are so many, but I narrowed it down to the top 10. For your entertainment or enjoyment, I present the…

Top 10 Lessons from my Dad

10) Be Smart~ He is one of the intelligent men I know. The only other men in that category are my grandfathers and my husband. He knows how to look at a problem and to think about all the ways to solve it. My dad is always thirsty to learn more and it shows in how much he knows!

9) Be a Hard Worker~He worked his butt off to provide for us when we were little and continues to work even harder-even though he doesn’t need to. His work ethic is non-stop and unequaled.

8)Be Fearless~ My dad is not afraid to try anything. He’ll fly an airplane at 30,000 feet and the next day he’ll scuba dive! We used to joke that he was the real James Bond. Maybe he really is!

7) Be Reliable~ He rarely breaks a promise. My dad is as reliable as they come. If he says he is going to be somewhere, he’ll be there! Even if he’s running late, he’ll somehow get there early.

6) Be a Storyteller~ My dad tells the best stories, and what’s funny is that they get more elaborate each time he tells them. The fish get a little bigger, the weather gets a little worse, the explosion gets a little louder, the flight gets a little bumpier… you know what I mean!

5) Be a Coach~ I think my dad coached everything that any of us were involved in. He was an amazing coach. He was encouraging, motivating, and made us better. I bring my kids over to his house now just so they can get some of that coaching. Even when he wasn’t the coach of the team, he was my coach and I loved it.

4) Be Resourceful~ My dad is a real-life MacGyver. He has the ability to problem solve and engineer something out of nothing- like nobody’s business! Give him a paperclip, duct tape, and an aerosol can and he could probably make a rocket. He’s just good at figuring out how to fix stuff that needs to be fixed. And forget the directions, I don’t think he ever reads those!!

3) Be a Fighter~ He will fight tooth and nail for what he wants. And he’ll fight for you, too. He’s the guy you want on your side. And I’m not just talking about fist to cuffs fighting (he’ll do that, too) but the “I’m gonna make sure your safe” kind of fight. When my mom got sick, he was her biggest fighter. He never stopped to get a better answer or to find the best doctors. When any of us are going through a rough time, he fights for us, too.

2) Be Proud~ He is a proud son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, friend, and more. He just looks at my kids and I can see the proud gleam in his eyes. He looks at my mom and I see that shine, the same way he looks at me and my three brothers. He is also proud of his life and the way he has lived it.

1) Be Loving~ He loves us, unconditionally. That’s all that really matters.

So there you have it, the top 10 lessons from my dad! I hope that when I turn 60 I can look back and say that I am also full of these traits, but if not I know that they will have been shared with and through me to my children and the people around us. I am so proud to have a dad like mine. And I feel so lucky to be his daughter. God didn’t make a mistake when picking my parents for me, or me for them. They have both been my best and favorite teachers.

Today, even if it’s not your dad’s birthday, go and give him a hug or call him if you are lucky enough to share this planet with him. And if you don’t, then raise up a toast to the dad that he was and think happy thoughts about him. You are a reflection of your parents; no matter if by birth, by adoption, by fostering, by single parents, by married parents, by divorced parents, or parents of the same gender. We, the collective we, are them. Love it or hate it, but please choose love over hate.

I challenge you to think about the lessons your dad taught you, or even those he taught you indirectly. Thank him for those and then pass them on. The world will shine a little brighter today if we all think positive thoughts of our dad’s. Then, please pass those lessons onto the next generation. Find the JOY in that act. See the BEAUTY that is your life and LIVE in that place. A place full of love, joy, beauty, and lessons; especially lessons from your dad!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

There are no happy accidents~

~Kim