My dad and I are like peas in a pod. We have a lot in common. First of all, we both have birthday’s that occasionally fall on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. We share a fondness for classic rock and instrumental guitar music. And we both have zero-tolerance for cell phones at the dinner table.
I also inherited many traits from my father such as my olive complexion and uni-brow (thanks for that one Daddy). And we both have the same goofy (or demented, according to my mom) sense of humor. I specifically recall one night as a teenager, having just come home from flipping burgers and scooping ice cream at Braum’s. It was around 10:00 and my parents were in bed – well, Mom was in bed reading and Daddy was sitting at the foot of the bed watching the late news on the tiny little TV they had tucked in the corner of the bedroom. Since my room was right across the hall, I stopped in the doorway to say good-night. Mom and I talked for a minute (how was your day? how was work?). Then I went and sat next to Daddy on the foot of the bed. The big news story was about unrest in the Mid-East (some things never change, huh?) and news anchor reported a story about Yasser Arafat. Without missing a beat, Daddy and I turned to each other and sang,
Yas-ser, that’s my baby
No sir, I don’t mean maybe
Yas-ser, that’s my baby now.
Mom groaned and mumbled something to the affect of, “you guys are sick” and rolled over and went to sleep.
It’s true that Daddy and I are a lot alike. It’s also fair to say that I’ve learned a lot from dad over the years. So to celebrate his 65th birthday, today I would like to share with you ten very important lessons I learned from my dad!
- It is considered an insult for one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
- Six of one indeed equals half a dozen of the other.
- A bird in the hand is far superior to two in the bush.
- It is never a good idea to put one’s cart before one’s horse.
- Try to avoid being in the position of getting the short end of the stick.
- Truly, if I am waiting on him, I am backing up.
- In all matters, I should do as my dad says and not as my dad does.
- I should avoid not being the sharpest tool in the shed.
- If something of mine ain’t broke, I should not try to fix it.
- If you’re gonna be stupid, you better be tough.
Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you. Thanks for all the good advice. And thanks for loving me even when I’ve been stupid and not so tough. Having you as a father is like having my cake and eating it too!
Love, Kelly
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