Most girls my age don't call their Dad as much as I do.
Daily. Yes, that's right. Daily. I call both my parents every day just to say hi. It might have something to do with living so far away from them, but I still do it. When my Dad doesn't answer but calls me back later, sometimes I pass it off as a butt-dial because I don't want to be ridiculous.
He and I have always had a special relationship because he used to work from home when I was a kid. He made me apple tacos for lunch countless afternoons. He coached my soccer teams, my baseball team, and went to all of my school events. He used to tell me typical dad things like, "You can't date until your married," and we used to play the Pretty Pretty Princess board game. We also rocked out to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, and The Who (among many others) in car rides.
Aside from being a Dad, I think he was a rockstar in a former life. I also think he was a chef in a former life because he's certainly a chef in this one. He's probably been a lot of things in various previous lives, but I am certain he's always been a Dad. Frankly, he's just really good at it. The fatherly advice comes naturally to him. He's really good at Dad jokes. He's also really great at the whole "teach life lessons" part of being a parent. He taught me that you have to stand up for what you believe in. That stopping on the street to do something good for someone else isn't hard. That putting in a lot of work now will pay off in the long run. That it doesn't matter what your salary is, it matters that you're happy. That being the best isn't important, it's doing your best.
If anyone asks me what my Dad is like, I usually respond with something like, "Imagine me, but a fifty-eight-year-old man. And less of a nerd." It might have something to do with the fact that he was a big factor in influencing my maturation to adulthood, or it might be genetics. The jury is still out. But what I do know is that we're both pretty funny (if I do say so myself) and we both do a mean air guitar solo. We both like to cook and be creative. We like the same kinds of movies, books, and music. We can have long conversations over meals about anything and everything.
He supports me always. I know that if something is happening, good or bad, he will be the first person there cheering me on or helping me fix it. He makes me feel like all of my skills and accomplishments, even if they are extremely small, are worth everything. He (and my mother both, but this is about him) has done his best to give me the world.
When I told him that I was writing this article about him, he asked me why anyone would be interested in reading an article about him. I said it's because he's a great dad; we have a great relationship, and I'm really lucky to have that kind of father-daughter relationship with him.
He responded saying that he's the lucky one.
While I do agree because let's face it, I'm awesome, I'm really the lucky one. I've got a lifetime of lessons and an outlook on the world that he's given me and I am equipped with the tools I need to go out and be even more awesome than I am, thanks to him. And that has made all the difference.
(P.S: You're killing me, smalls!)
