My Dad and I really like ice cream.
It may be nature - I could have inherited his sweet tooth. But it could also be nurtured.
There used to be an ice cream shop in Thornbury called Pop’s Ice Cream Experience. In fact, it was my first job. I was 12 years old and I wanted to save up some money for my trip to Germany. So I scooped ice cream all summer. All 40 flavours of it.
Like I said, Pop’s was in Thornbury along the route to the beach. One of my dad’s favourite things to do after a long, hot day framing a house in the summer was to walk down to the pier for a “dip” and grab an ice cream cone on the way home.
Even if I had just returned from a swim with friends, I would always go again with Dad.
I remember marvelling at my dad’s ability to float in the water with his head and toes peeking out of the water. Classic Dad move, right?
My dad was a very strong swimmer. In fact, he was a certified lifeguard, which is a designation he earned later in life when he took a job running a retreat centre with a lake where the visiting kids liked to swim.
I remember him coming home and laughing about the class full of 16-year-old kids and him, in his late 30s, treading water alongside them.
My dad is like that though. When there’s a need, he steps up to fill it.
When he was hired as the head of a kids’ summer camp program he learned to play chords on an acoustic guitar so he could lead the songs during each evening’s campfire.
Both my parents are avid learners, and they have inspired me to keep learning and filling needs where I see them.
My dad is the reason I always pick the funny birthday cards, and he’s also the guy who taught me the single eyebrow raise in the style of Commander Spock – original Star Trek series.
Sure, he spoiled a Star Wars movie for me, but that’s a Dad’s right.
He bought my husband and I tickets to go see Roger Hodgson one year, and made sure to send Supertramp lyrics as puns via text in the three days leading up to the show.
He taught me the importance of a good cup of coffee in the morning and to make sure I take my dog for a long walk every day.
My dad is the guy I call when things get overwhelming. You know that feeling when your to-do list only grows and you’re pretty sure if you don’t wash all the dishes today something very bad will happen? He knows what to say. He’ll pull from his stash of Dad Jokes and we’ll figure things out together. He’s strong, but he won’t lift what he knows I can lift myself. He’s wise, but he still lets me figure it out. He’s funny, but he lets me deliver the punchlines sometimes too.
Happy Father’s Day, dad! Live long and prosper. (You can’t see it, but I did the single eyebrow raise.)
