With Father's Day right around the corner, I was reflecting on the impact my dad has had on my life. I am profoundly blessed to have a relentlessly hardworking father who has always provided for our family. However, for most of my life I believed that there were more differences between us than similarities. He has always had a knack for working with his hands and fixing things, and I was always more interested in reading and writing. This year I decided to focus on the things we have in common:
1. We fall smack dab in the middle of the Introverted-Extroverted scale.
Up until about a week ago I was convinced that my dad was an introvert like I am, but he shocked me by adamantly claiming to be extroverted. He spends a lot of time driving by himself for work and likes when parties are short and sweet, but I had overlooked the fact that he also enjoys striking up theological conversations with the dentist and other strangers. The same is true for me. I like writing quietly by myself but I also like talking with new people and getting to know them. My dad may not agree with me, but I came to the conclusion that we are both half introverted-half extroverted. He's an introverted extrovert and I'm an extroverted introvert. Case closed.
2. It takes a...very...long time for us to make decisions.
Whether we're buying clothes, a new laptop, or a car, it's the same story. We compare the quality and price of 52 different options. Next we visit the store or dealership at least 4 times with no intention of taking anything home that day. Then we buy something on a whim that we had never even considered before. Works every time and drives our family completely insane.
3. We prefer to work alone rather than with a group.
We like working by ourselves because...admittedly...we tend to become control freaks when a project involves working with other people. It's a dilemma. We don't want to exclude others but we also want things done the right way. Sometimes we have a picture in our head of how we want something to turn out and it's easier to do it ourselves.
4. We are perfectionists with a strong work ethic.
This goes along with liking to work alone. Because we do projects solo, we can set our own timetables and deadlines so that we can work on something for as long as it takes to get it to meet our standards. We get enthralled with what we're doing and work at it for hours on end. I sometimes put off daily chores when the creative juices are really flowing, but it's because I want the finished product to be excellent. Sorry, Mom. I get it from Dad.
5. We have compassion for others.
One of the things I admire most about my dad is that he cares for the needs of others. He willingly helps his friends by fixing their broken appliances and will always take time to listen when elderly ladies want to tell him their childhood stories. In fact, my dad and I are both intrigued by any personal story. This often leads to us watching shows on TLC because we like seeing into the lives of others. What can we say? It's a guilty pleasure. Having compassion, thankfully, is not.
We also both like orange juice with extra pulp, pickles on our sandwiches, and ice cream without nuts. Perhaps those would make yummy treats this year. Happy Father's Day, Daddy, I love you.
