Father's Day Reflections

Today I wanted to share some Father’s Day Reflections

Where would we be without Fathers? ?

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My Dad has always been my Hero

My Role Model

The person I look up to more than anyone else

That was true when I was a young boy

And that is still true today

I find it interesting how that sentiment has remained, yet the lens I see it through has shifted

When we are young, we tend to believe our parents know everything

They have all of the answers

They never make a poor decision

They are perfect in all ways?

Even when their method of doing something is less than ideal, to a young child it seems clear this is “the right way to do it”

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And as we get older, we start to see our parents in a different light

That perspective is continuously evolving (even if it seems to go backwards at times)

All of a sudden, I found myself with a completely different opinion

"Clearly my Dad has no idea what he is talking about!"

"He just doesn’t understand what it is like to be a teenager"

It is hard not to smile looking back at my rebellious attitude towards wise advice….

And as time goes on, we find that more and more often, Dad’s advice was right

The old man really did understand

As we continue to mature, we start to see that our parents are human

Dads are in fact not perfect, like all of us they tend to make mistakes

It takes time and emotional maturity to let go of that perfect image

We can find ourselves feeling frustrated, confused, and overly angry with our parents for simple mistakes

I’ve come to see that best version of my Dad (and parents in general) is not the flawless superhero of my childhood imagination

Because there is not a single person on this earth without shortcomings

What matters is how we live our lives, despite our flaws

There is something beautiful about how the childhood view tends to come full circle

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My Father is still my Hero Not because he is perfect

Not because he is always right

Not because he knows everything

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It is because he strives to be the best version of himself, despite his shortcomings ?

It is because he loves his family even when they themselves are imperfect

It is because of how he responds to adversity, to challenge, to whatever life throws at him

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I believe there is a valuable lesson there

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As kids, we can get confused thinking that the best way to impress our parents is perfection

That in order to impress, we must never make a mistake

And the reality is, that is just not true

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That may be the greatest lesson my Father taught me

That we do not need to be perfect to be to be our best self

That giving our best effort, helping others, and making a contribution to the world,

Is what really matters

Having the courage to admit our mistakes, and learn from them, is how we grow?

Thank you to all the fathers today

The love, sacrifice, and support you provide on daily basis is immeasurable

Thank you for helping each of us become a better version of ourselves

Thank you Dad, for being you