Well, Father's Day is coming up this weekend, so I thought I would bookend my prior post on Mother's Day with a little post about my Dad. See Dad? I told you I would!
When I look back on my childhood and days growing up, I often think how different my Dad was from all the other dads. Many of my friends' dads were very predictable and taciturn-- no, let me rephrase that-- they were downright BORING. But my dad was always an early adopter. He was always doing, saying, and encouraging the unpredictable... offering an alternative vision... and taking the road less traveled. Often quite literally.
There is always an alternative, and authority should always be questioned...if not, on occasion, disregarded entirely. Often, that is what our family chose, and we still do; and this stems directly from the Tao of Dad. While being different is not always the easier way, it is more fulfilling, and richer, and more amusing.
So, before you go doing what everyone else is doing, or doing something just because everyone else is doing it, consider the alternative. Before you go getting something new, see if you can fix what you have. You might not be able to, but it will make a hysterical story if you can't. Before you discard something old, look for the history in it. Before you pass something off as different, ugly, uncool, or even downright weird, ask yourself if that's really true, or if it's just new to your eyes. And...and this is important...don't let anyone ever tell you what to think. Because you can think for yourself, and it's more fun.
Thanks Dad. I love you!
