Today is Father’s Day. In lieu of being able to be with my Dad I wanted to reflect on the things I love about him.
I call him Micky B, sometimes Dad and sometimes Michael in the tone my Mum uses when she is angry with him. He is a farmer, but he came out of a different mould than most. He is always thinking of new ideas about farming (dung beetles anyone?). He is the best speller in my family and still has his Blackies dictionary from Year 6 out by the computer. He always says that dogs are meant for outside, but then lets them sit by the fire on cold nights. He loves techie gadgets, but when I told him the leafie + lize URL, he typed it in with spaces between the words and then rung me cos the page was showing an error.
I could go on forever, because in a way he is one of my best friends.
1) He is patient.
In everyday life he has so much patience and he is so calm. We are both similar, except for that one time we tried to pitch a tent together. We nearly yelled at each other that day. He once told me how he punched a guy in his office cos he had pushed him too far. Go Dad.
2) He buys things in twos.
This realisation came to me in my high school years. Mum went trekking in Nepal, which meant Dad had to do the grocery shopping. You would think there was a war approaching, because he bought two of everything. He just got back from Paris with a new funky striped shirt, and guess what? He bought two.
3) He has his own sense of style.
Our family farm is near a small town and there isn’t much shopping going on. For most men living there, it isn’t a fashion parade. But Dad went overseas and comes back with French hats, Moroccan slippers and Greek sandals. And he rocks them in the pub on a Friday night too.
4) He is a nice person.
He treats everyone the same. He would chat to a tree if it could talk back. He is welcoming and makes dorky jokes to make people feel comfortable. I hope some of his niceness has rubbed off on me.
5) He has a sense of humour.
We laugh at the same silly things. I can add “bloody oath” on the end of a normal sentence in an ocker accent and he thinks it is the funniest thing he has ever heard. Most worrying was when my friend said to me one day “You sounded like Micky B then”. Chip off the old block alright.
6) He will be the best Grandad one day (*cough* a long way down the track).
Little kids love him. He is so gentle and lovely with them. When the day comes that he is a Grandad it’s going to be amazing.
7) He has a great heart.
I found my favourite pic of Mum and Dad on their wedding day on my last trip home and left it out of the album. Mum said Dad made a special trip into town just to get a frame for it. He looks so happy in that photo and you can’t really blame him, Mum looks like a princess. I also know about the secret tin in his cupboard full of sentimental trinkets and letters. Now I know where I get that habit from.
8) He always tells me to follow my instincts.
And he is never wrong. Apart from that one time I wanted to study photography at school. But we have made peace with that.
9) He never tires of listening to my problems or giving advice.
I could call him every night of the week with a new problem and he would still give me his honest unbiased opnion. He never gets cross with me for questioning things or wanting to talk things out. There is that patience thing again.
10) He used to have red hair.
Um...not much more to add here. Red hair is awesome.
If I really thought long and hard about it, there would be a million reasons why I think he is a great Dad. This is just a snapshot, a little reminder of the things I don’t want to forget.
And don’t worry Dad, I won’t tell anyone about that one time you forgot to pick me up from tennis lessons. It’ll be out little secret...
:`)
ReplyDelete