He's a provider. He's a foundation for the family unit. A man who tells stories, and a man who may not share his feelings, but that $20 he just threw in your pocket for gas money or for the anticipated cab ride home after a night of partying tells you just exactly how he feels. Some rule with an iron fist, other rule with an iron set of rules. Growing up, maybe he's the discipline when you need it, or perhaps it's the "Do what your mother says." However you look at your Dad, he becomes an instant source and prime example of what it's like to be a man. That's worth a high five.
For me, there isn't a single person in this world who has done for me or given me more than my Dad (and I have Mom to thank for that, because after all, it takes two to tango) I think when a son is growing up with his father by his side, their relationship changes as the years go by. For me, it was growing up on the farm, and my dad instilling in me the work ethic he knows is vital to supporting the life I want and the person I want to be. When you're little, you grow up saying I want to be a firefighter or I want to be police man. I never really caught onto that phase; I wanted to be just like my Dad.
As I get older, I see how boys turn into men and how they become their father's son. I notice how girls are still and always will be "daddy's little girl." It's hard to imagine a life without a father. The influence of a first fishing trip, who you learn how to shoot a gun, a first sip of a beer, the first date your Dad drives you to, the coach who teaches you how to shoot a puck or swing a bat...I could go on for days. I look at the role Dad's play in our life: coach, mentor, provider and hero are the first words that come to my mind. As guys, we have a funny way of showing our emotion. We have to be tough, we can't cry and we can't be wimps. Dad's don't often show emotion and I think it's because it's their duty to be the strength and the provider. It's a role that has been in place for years, and it's one that we live by. But every once in awhile, like a rare lunar eclipse, we shed a tear. We say those three little words. It's those moments that people live with, the ones that they don't forget.
As I'm sitting her writing, I'm thinking about all the ways I can try to relate to guys out there who may be reading this post and trying to find an emotional way to attach themselves to a story without feeling like "less of a man." For this, I turn to Hollywood. I think of Braveheart, when a young William Wallace wants to go with his father to fight the English, and he tries to convince him he can come because he can fight. His father looks down at him and says, "I know you can fight; but it's our wits that make us men." Father/Son moment #1. Our how about in Barney's Version, when Barney, after countless talks with his father, and when he has his third wife, his Dad is sitting with him on the porch, watching his grandchildren play when he looks at his son and says (in Yiddish terms), "You've done good, boychick." Father/Son moment #2. Both of these when looking at them in context have a deeper meaning then a simple set of words. A bond between a father and son is usually an unspoken one, or it's a bond of 10 words or less. And that, for many, is the relationship that they have with their father. One saying or one term or phrase that makes the special I love you bond between two grown men. It's our wits that make us men. You've done good, boy. I'm proud of you. You're going to be a man someday. All of these little sentences that run a deep bond, stronger than any man and bigger than any muscle. With my dad, when I'm leaving to go somewhere, the phrase is "Don't do anything stupid." Mom says it's his way of saying "I love you, son." She's deadly accurate.
I know a lot of people who aren't as lucky as me and don't have a Dad to lean on, on days like today. Or they have to go to the "back nine" to see them. For them, they exist only in memory and the stories they tell. My heart goes out to them and this post is dedicated to them. They are the ones who had it tough today.
I'm fortunate that I get to see my Dad almost every day of my life. It's a unique position to be in, to get to laugh everyday with your Dad, to grow in business, to watch and learn, realize how brilliant a man can be and how to be a constant source of inspiration. Father's day becomes a golf holiday, or a dinner with your family, a phone call from near or far. For many, it's a day to be thankful for the person we look up to. In the simplest of terms, it's a day to simply say "Thank you, for being you." And most importantly, it's a celebration. So raise your glass, wave your hats, slap a back or give a manly hug. In my eyes, Dad's are awesome. They always will be.
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