From present to memory

My parents raised my brother, sister, and myself in a warm and loving home, for which I'm forever grateful. Since my mom passed away in 2010, I cherish my time with my dad.

Since he is already well in his eighties, I was running out of inspiration for what to give him for his birthday. I had settled for the traditional bottle of cognac every year (which nicely matched his consumption rate). But I got bored by this predictable annual gift and wanted to make it more memorable.

And so, I came up with an alternative birthday gift: I take my dad for a day trip to spend quality time together. I keep the program a secret as long as possible, which is part of the fun. You might see some similarities with MeeuwsenMannenDag.

The first time, we went on a cycling tour in the area where my parents bought their first house and raised us. I contacted the current owners and arranged to stop there to visit our former home. It was great to be back at the place where I spent the first ten years of my life. My dad had plenty of stories to tell, which was also enjoyable for the residents who had welcomed us so kindly. Later on, we visited the bicycle museum in Nijmegen (how Dutch).

The second time, we went on a road trip with a classic Citro?n Deux Chevaux (see picture). My dad is a big fan of French cars; he owned several and was always busy with some maintenance work. I remember our summer holidays in France, where he would hunt for spare parts at the local scrapyard. Driving around in a 2CV together was great fun.

This year, I took my dad on a day trip into my life. First, we stopped by the Ordina office where I work to show him around. Because he often took us to his workplace when we were kids, it was nice to return the favor for once. He loved it. After that, we drove to my golf club to show him where I hang out many Friday afternoons. We had fun hitting away some balls at the driving range. That was a new experience for him, and I must say, he did rather well!

From there, it was a short drive into the city of 's-Hertogenbosch. We visited the Huis van Bosch, the recently renovated home where our famous painter Jheronimus Bosch was born. It will be no surprise that the next stop was the Jeroen Bosch Art Center to admire the painter's unique paintings. We concluded the day with a nice dinner, after which I drove my dad back home.

I'm happy I started organizing these day trips with my dad. We have plenty of time to catch up, relive old memories, and mix more serious topics with lots of laughs. It's great to have such quality time together.

What does quality time look like for you? And who do you spend it with? Do you have any tips or suggestions? Please share in the comments or send me a message.

Take care and till next time!

Kind regards,

Herman / Scrumpy Dad

PS Do you enjoy reading this newsletter? Chances are you know somebody who might be interested too. Please spread the joy and forward this article. Thanks for sharing!