First Father’s Day without Dad – I must admit I’ve been anxious leading up to the day. But thanks to one of the many things my Dad taught me, I realized I can either look at this day in the eyes of what I don’t have or can take the viewpoint of all the memories I’m lucky to hold on to with the 39 years I had with my Dad.
We all come across various moments that make us pause and give thanks. A reminder of how lucky we may be to have had someone in our lives. And while nothing will stay the same forever and goodbyes are inevitable, it’s the memories and wisdom we hold onto that can be everlasting. Today I wanted to share just 5 of the life lessons I was lucky enough to observe from my Dad. Happy Father’s Day to all of you dads out there!
- It doesn’t matter how unfair life can be, there’s always good in the world to soak in.
- Always hold onto your sense of humor no matter the number of valleys you face in your ride called life.
- Discipline is not easy but when you consistently do the things you know you need to do each day, you can realize strength and accomplishment well beyond what you thought was possible.
- Do your best to help create an environment where you feel you can be your best self.
- Persevere. And when you are challenged again, persevere. Rinse and repeat no matter what life throws at you.
One of my favorite stories about my Dad came from one of his long-time coworkers. By the time my Dad passed in 2023, he had battled a rare muscle disease for over 20 years. During these 20 years, sometimes even the simplest of tasks like getting up and getting to work was a huge uphill battle. Occasionally, due to his muscle disease, his muscles would completely lock up and freeze. One of these moments was right as he was entering into work one morning. His coworker saw him lean up against a wall seemingly frozen in time, ran to get his chair from his office, wheeled it over to my Dad, and sat him down. After a few minutes of the symptom running its course, she then wheeled him into his office.
Once the muscle tension eventually eased, he set up for the day in front of his computer and got right to work. His coworker came back by his office to check on him in disbelief that this man went from not even being able to move to a few minutes later getting to work like nothing happened. That was my Dad.
For all the great memories and lessons learned over the years, thanks Dad.
