today is my dad's birthday. he's not really telling anyone about it, so don't say anything if you see him. but i am taking it upon myself to dedicate an entry to him today because he is, after all, my hero.i've inherited many traits from my father: my sense of humor, my perfectionism, my love of red wine, my penchant for overthinking, my extreme (sometimes frightening) passion for the Yankees, my relentless sweet tooth, my green eyes, my smart-ass mouth, my competitive steak, and a few more.
my dad has always been part-father, part-buddy to me. when i was little, he would whip me into a frenzy every night before bedtime. this didn't exactly thrill my mother, but i loved it. we would race upstairs to my bedroom, both of us so fiercely wanting be the first to cross the finish line that one night we actually ripped a limb off my Curious George doll in the process.
when i was kid, i would follow him around everywhere on the weekend - front yard, back yard, basement, wherever - wanting to know exactly what he was doing, and how to do it. i was fascinated by the way he could fix pretty much anything and that he knew how to do everything from painting a wall to building a deck. he never minded me being his shadow, and now thanks to him i'm pretty handy for a girl.
in high school, my dad may have spent more time working on the plays and musicals than i did. he built sets, he supplied props... my senior year he even snagged a part in the show. a speaking part! and he upstaged me! we shared a scene in Bye, Bye Birdie, a show in which i was one of the leads - it was a dream role for me, actually - and there he was, stealing laughs from me, every single night. but i loved it.
my whole life, my dad has gone the extra mile for me. when we stopped taking summer vacations to the Jersey Shore because we got a pool in our backyard, he built me my own perfect little beach in the corner. he moved me in and out of every dorm room i had in college - packing and unpacking the car, lugging my superfluous belongings between Pennsylvania and Long Island, twice a year for four years. when i got terminated from the Disney World College Program, he picked me up from the airport and gave me the biggest hug. we talked about my severe lapses in judgment, but he never made me feel bad about what happened. and when we had to put my dog to sleep last year, he was the one to stay in the exam room with her while the vet administered the shot because he knew it would be too much heartache for me to bear.
now that i'm older, my dad has gone from being a buddy to being one of my best friends. now i go home on weekends and we share a bottle of wine (or three) and talk about everything - our jobs, TV shows, sports, politics, the meaning of life. he's still my dad too - willing to offer advice or input on career moves or my 401(k) - but he knows it's my life now, that i have to live it for me and no one else, and he lets me do my own thing.
he's taught me so much - humility, hard work, sacrifice, how to bounce back after mistakes (and that's just what i've learned by losing to him in Scrabble!) - way too many things to fit in one blog entry. but he really is about the best dad a girl could ask for and i just want to wish him the happiest birthday, a happy, healthy, productive year - and all the red wine and dark chocolate he could possibly wish for.
mb
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