Shit my dad says

Rule # 1: Go with the flow

Rule # 2: Be happy

There was a long set of rules my dad had about life, most of them sounded like lines out of Shit My Dad Says and I wish I could remember them all, but rule number one and two were always in his rants at some point. He was a huge advocate for living your life and he hated it when people just talked about doing things. Action was key and my parents agreed on this point, I still hear my dad’s words coming out of my mom’s mouth almost every time I see her, “Don’t just talk about it, do it!” I feel like the Nike swoosh should have been their logo for parenting. They have always been very optimistic and motivating about any endeavor I have set my sights on, it’s a trait of theirs I greatly appreciate and it’s come to be the way I live my life as well.

Their beliefs obviously trickled down and I see “doing” as a tenet, the foundation of a strong and happy life. It leads to being; being the person you want to be in the life you want to lead. It was important to my dad to impart his silly wisdom and I remember at times thinking he needs to quit with all the rhetoric. I remember him saying over and over, to go with the flow and to be happy, and lately I’ve found myself pursuing something I really want, something paramount to me, and it’s been pretty against the flow. I know it’s crucial what I’m doing, but I need to remember my dad’s number one rule a little more, and go with the flow. What should happen will happen…

I believe you have to DO to make a difference in your life, but lately I see it cannot be all encompassing. The need for compassion when you’re gunning for something is just as important as the gunning itself. There are always people around you that will be affected by the wake we leave and those should be considered. Getting to the finish line all alone is no way to get to rule number two, being happy. I see now that rule number two is really the goal, where as rule number one is part of how we get there, and it’s the people that join us throughout life and cross those finish lines with us that we set for ourselves that make this life worth the doing.

I’m sure if dad was still around he would look at me now, shaking his head, and say, “You’re finally getting it.” It’s just an adjustment I needed to understand, to have a slightly different view of his top two rules.

With that and the fresh snow that sits on the ground outside, I want to finally share something I wrote the day my dad passed away. I wrote this when I was 18, probably in a state of shock, so be kind on your judgments, it’s a metaphor through the view of something my family always has cherished. Anyway, thanks again for listening and here is Snow Conditions:

On the slopes of life

We constantly wish for better times.

In the deep powder we laugh and pray for more

On the ice we curse and struggle.

Ever changing we adjust.

Our skis are sharp, tuned, and precise

Days of sunshine call to us to free ourselves.

Runs on a cloudy day are flat

And falling snow nips at our nose.

Ever changing we adjust.

Spring rolls in and layers are shed

As snow melts and turns to slush.

Whether you’re in jeans or down

Shorts or a sweater.

Ever changing we adjust.

Real skiers will brave the squall

Battling rain, sleet, cold, and wind.

We call these slopes our home

They guide us to our goal.

Ever changing we adjust.

Cringing we ski through the bad

Knowing tomorrow there will be good.

Ever changing we adjust.

Truth is, we adjust.

We fight. We deal. We live.

In the end the snow doesn’t change

We adjust.