There was a time when I thought I knew everything, or at least as much as my dad, heck, maybe more. But in all fairness, I am talking everyday things, gosh he was an engineer, and a really good one at that. Way out of my league!
Think about it, at age 18 we know everything, nothing our parents tell us means diddly. At age 25 we think we're light years ahead of them, out of college, smarter than a whip, we can take on any task. By the time we're 35 something is happening, because our parenting skills are telling us that maybe our mother's were right after all, heck, look how good we all turned out. Now we're 45 and things are looking bleak in the smart race, guess who is catching up. By 50 it's all over, all sorts of things start happening most of which we don't need to go into here, but as difficult it may be to admit, our parents are smarter than we are. There is hope, soon our children will start to realize just how smart we are. And that brings me to the purpose of this post.
You can say a lot about my father but lets not forget how smart he was. He knew a bargain when he saw one. When he bought us kids that mail truck at a post office auction, he knew what he was doing. He even made it a family affair and had all us out in the drive way taping and painting that thing to look like an American flag. Red/White/Blue with stars. Again, he had a purpose.
We were just happy to have our own transportation, plus it was way cooler to drive that mail truck than our mothers station wagon. We were able to put our artistic talent to work on the inside with the best posters we could find, a record player, and a wicker couch. Cruising through McDonald's was an experience and we had a blast. As obvious as this mail truck was we were able to get away with some shenanigans. Except that night when a concerned citizen reported a suspicious looking mail truck to the township police, who knew right away who it belonged to. Soon enough there was dad knocking on the side window asking in all too familiar voice, "what the hell are you doing in there?" Those teenage years were great weren't they?
The longer I reminisced over this photo, the clearer it became, remember I said Dad was smart, there was a method to his madness, and he found a great way to achieve it. That old jeep provided Dad with a level of security he envisioned for us, yet it allowed us the freedom of expression. Just one of the great lessons he taught us.
I made a reference to dad in the previous post, his guidance and his wisdom is always present and he is an inspiration to us all. There isn't a day that I don't ask myself what would dad do.
This struggle of good against evil is an example of where his presence is felt and needed, he is always near by yet I miss him a lot.
Keep looking out for us, lord knows we need it!
Thanks Dad
1 comment:
Great post. Great advice. When the urge is great to step off the high road, just ask "what would dad do". I know he kept me on the right road many times.
As to the old mail truck....I wonder if he didn't think it thru the whole way. It may have only gone 45 mph at best but that mattress in the back was something I don't think he could have forseen. Or, maybe he did! Hmmmm...he did have a good sense of humor.
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