Thursday, October 19, 2017

My Dad

You know when you really frustrate your parents and they say that one phrase...I hope you have a child just like you when you grow up.

Me? I am that curse from both sets of grandparents. I am 50% like my dad and 50% like my mom. I drove them both a little crazy and managed to make them both love me because of it too.

So my dad is not doing well. Today I was asked to "tell me about your dad." Not so easy as you would think. (I also have a hard time in interviews when asked to tell me about yourself too.)

My dad is a tough South Dakota farmer, who lost his farm. My dad always wants to know how everyone's crops are doing and where you are from. He can ask a thousand questions before you even get the chance to start answering the first.

He could always talk to anyone. A fact I hated at the time but find myself admiring all the more now.

My dad has one Hell of a temper, that he passed on to me and my nephew. He also lectured us in how not controlling that temper could get us in lots of trouble too. When I am mad, I am furious and you will most likely know it. But I also know not to let get the better of me.

I got my love of reading from my dad. I've read The Little House on the Prairie books several times. I still have the urge to pull two books out when I want to read one because of my dad. You would be happily reading along and set the book down to go do something, only to come back and find Dad had picked it up and started reading just where you left off. So we learned to leave out another book from the series as a decoy. Yep you read that right we left decoy books out.

I got my procrastination gene from Dad too. Along with my inability to send a card on time. If it can be done tomorrow why do it today?

Dad took me out on the back roads and made me practice driving home. It almost broke my heart to break the rules like that. But when the time came for me to get my license, I got my license and not my permit. Mom told me years later she thought I would fail and was ready to give me a good pep talk.

It was from both of them that I received the confidence to face a bully. I never had to fight but I knew if the fight happened I was going to hurt them more than they hurt me. I knew they would back me whatever the consequence. I still can remember them telling me I was tough and strong.

I received my strength and put your head down and get through it from them. I also received my joy and happy outlook from them. The ability to see beauty in everyday things, even rusting old farm equipment.

Oh and my love of rain definitely came from being a farmer's daughter.

And ice cream love that came from Dad too. Tea, the tea thing started with Dad.

Yeah I was the curse from both grandparents. It is good to be a curse.