Every year, my birthday falls on or around Father’s Day. This makes the occasion that much more special to me. And this year’s celebration has me reflecting more than ever about life with my dad.
Here are 6 reasons why I am grateful for my dad:
1. My Laugh: People often comment about my laugh. I have heard it described as distinctive and infectious, which really means my laugh makes others laugh. This is something my genes have inherited from my dad. It’s my dad’s laugh.
Pirate Dad on family vacation in Florida ’062. Survival Skills to Take on the World: My dad never coddled or over-protected me from the harsh realities of the world to the point of wrapping me in a cocoon; that was my mom’s role. Instead, my father, armed with his Scottish “suck it up attitude,” gave me a kick in the butt when I needed it most. He taught me to think and use my head (even when I didn’t listen), and make decisions from a cerebral place when it was called for. Not that this always worked, mind you, but I did get some street smarts that have enabled me to make important life decisions, such as buying a home as a single woman and kept me safe when traveling the world solo as a woman.
3. Greatest Challenger: Typical of anyone with an artistic side, I’m filled with creative ideas. When I was younger, I would often share my ideas with great excitement and enthusiasm at the dinner table, which was usually the only time I was able to get the attention of my father, who worked hard and long hours. Until I got wiser, that is. Because more often than not, my ideas would be met with a wet blanket. While I naturally wasn’t thrilled to have the kibosh put on my ideas, I now see that it likely prevented me from making big mistakes.
4. My Start in Broadcast: Having been born and raised in a family of broadcasters, I spent a lot of my childhood in and around television and news production. I was always in awe of the magic before my eyes and truly there was no other place I would have rather been than in our family’s television station. Today, I work in the broadcast field as a talk show host and producer. So instead of just watching the magic before my eyes, I now create it with my talk show Extraordinary Women TV, which I managed to launch and produce with the generous support of my father (an idea that DIDN’T get the wet blanket!).
5. Our Family Rock: My dad is the rock that keeps our family solid and grounded, and is the proverbial pillar of strength. While women are typically the ones who bind the family together with their focus on nurturing and relationship, which my mother does so well, it is my father who has that quiet strength and courage that gives us a sense of stability and security.
6. Value on Education: I have a high value on higher learning and I can thank my father for that. But I didn’t always. My value of learning has taken me to some of the most interesting places around the world, studying with some of the brightest minds, and also gave me an opportunity to attend the prestigious Oxford University. Through it all, I believe the best thing we can do for ourselves in life is to get educated, in whatever form that may be, whether it is college or world travel. Because education leads to empowerment.
Happy Father’s Day, dad! Thank you for all that you have done for me over the years. I feel blessed to have you as my father.
To my readers: what makes YOU grateful for your dad?