Unconventional Fatherly Wisdom

Ahhh, Father's Day. A time to reflect on your dad and appreciate all the great stuff he taught you over the years. Usually you make a phone call and send a card to tell your dad how much you love him.  But in my case, my dad is, shall we say, a little too elusive 
for phone calls and sappy cards. One never really finds my dad, it is he that finds you.  He shows up or calls out of the blue and you never know exactly when.  He never wears a watch and doesn't always have a phone nearby.  So you just wait for him to appear.  It's the way he's always been. 

Here's a photo of my dad from my early years

sporting that Dennis Hopper Easy Rider look.

As you can see, my dad is quite an unconventional guy and therefore it's not hard to imagine that he cast out a lot of unconventional pearls of wisdom to his kids over the years.

So for Father's Day, I figured that if I couldn't send a cheesy card or call him on the phone, I'd remember him by jotting down a
random sample of things my dad taught me:

1. Fry everything, it tastes better.  (Practically a family creed.)
2. You don't have to turn off the power at the breaker box to install a new light fixture. Just don't touch anything you shouldn't when you switch it out and you won't get hurt.  Simple as that. (still the way I do it too.)
3. When you're walking in a parking lot, car windows make excellent reflectors so you can watch for people sneaking up behind you.
4. Obey your mom or you'll be sorry.
5. If someone asks for the shirt off your back, offer them your shoes too.  
6. Education doesn't necessarily come from a classroom.
7. Any boy who brings you home way past curfew will have a loaded weapon pointed directly at them.  (Sorry Dane!)
8. When other boys hear about said loaded weapon, very few of them will ever want to attempt to date a girl with a crazy father.
9. Never let a dog sense your fear, even if it has its jaws firmly lodged into your neck and is shaking you like a rag doll.  
10. Read. Read. Read. And then read some more.
11. Even a twelve year old girl can install wood flooring.  She can also frame a wall for that matter too.
12. Always sit where you can see everything going on in a room.
13. "Paint Your Wagon" is the best musical ever.
14. It's never a good idea to let your dad remove your cast with hedge clippers. (yep, I learned that one the hard way.)
15. Even if it looks like you need stitches, you might get away with using just a band-aid.
16. If the sun is in your eyes and you're at a stop light, you can usually see the reflection of the traffic lights on the hood of your car. (My dad owned a lot of dark colored cars.)
17. Don't be afraid to drive three states away to pick up your sister.  It's worth the trip.
18. Never volunteer your social security number.
19. Even if your mom is cooking dinner, there's always time to sneak away and get some ice cream.
20. Firm faith can never be shaken.

...and that's just the wisdom I can share.  Imagine the stuff I can't.  Just a little insight into why I may have turned out a smidge unconventional myself.

Happy Father's Day Dad!  "Kei te aroha au ki a koe"