What I Learned From My Dad

My dad was one of the most incredible men in my life. He was always my biggest supporter, the most incredible source of inspiration and all about giving out life lessons.

Dad had, in my opinion, a rough upbringing which led to him running away from home when he was 16 and joining the Merchant Marines. And I am so very grateful for what he went through, because it made him who he was, and being an amazing dad was just a portion of that.

For the record, my mom’s pretty damn incredible, too ― but since Father’s Day just happened, I want to pay tribute to my dad and all the important life lessons he taught me over the years (most of which, I didn’t really pay attention to until I was much older).

• He taught me the meaning of respect, both giving and receiving.
• He taught me that independence comes with responsibility, and he allowed me to learn that the hard way.
• He taught me many lessons in responsibility through raising and caring for animals (mainly horses).
• He taught me to work hard for the things that I want and the importance of having a good work ethic.
• Likewise, he taught me the importance of having a job with a retirement plan.
• He taught me that education is everything, and that if I wanted to achieve anything in life, I could.
• He taught me that corny is cool (enough), and that laughing at your own jokes is, too... because he only had one joke that he could remember and told it every chance he got.
• He taught me what a real man is like and how a lady should be treated. No exceptions.
• He taught me to always look people in the eyes when you are talking to them.
• He taught me to check the fluids in my vehicle or suffer the consequences.
• He taught me if you use someone’s tools or anything from the kitchen, put it back where you found it (just kidding, I’m pretty sure that last part came from Mom).
• He taught me that the hardest lesson in life comes just after you choose not to tell the truth.

These are just a smidgen of the life lessons that I, and my siblings, learned over the years...There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss him, but I remind myself that even though he is no longer here on earth, the tidbits of wisdom he did instill in me will last my lifetime and I hope to someday pass it on to my children.