What My Dad Taught Me...

...and continues to teach me.

Just as I was on Mother's Day, I find myself particularly nostalgic this year. And the adventurous, reflective, and rewarding life I'm living has much to do with my father's influence. So on Father's Day, I'd like to share a few of the things my dad has taught me over the years.

Some lessons were practical, some were necessary, some were life changing, some happened when I was little, and some happened today. But all of them were a gift from my father.

My dad taught me:

1. how to throw a ball and "have a catch."
2. how to drive a car. And change the oil. And change a flat. And drive over a piece of trash with precision. Using each tire. And drive in reverse for a 1/2 mile. Really. That happened.
3. how to fish. All of it, from making lures with a hot lead mold to building my own rod to "getting it in the net" to filleting. 
4. how to fix things. So many, many things. Gluing chipped ceramic figurines, to patching holes in walls, to fixing running toilets, to repairing broken bicycle chains, etc. All things I broke in the first place.
5. how to create an incredibly abundant garden. From seed. Literally and metaphorically.
6. how to be coachable. "When the coach is interested in your perspective, he'll ask. Otherwise, learn from him." And yes, my Dad was my first, favorite and most insightful coach. (He took stats at every one of my basketball games. Pic below.)
7. that hard work is as nourishing as healthy meals.
8. to think "things" through and prepare for the most likely and most important outcomes.
9. how to think like a scientist.
10. to learn the difference between the quick, convenient decision and a solid, deliberate decision. And that each has its place.
11. how to be physically adept, mentally strong and intellectually competitive while participating in sports. It's part of what put so much fun in sports for me.
12. what the true meaning of respect means. Even if you don't respect a person's decisions, respect his/her position. And that self-respect is the most important kind.
13. that life is too short to worry about things you can't control. Keeping your sense of humor in tact is critically important during those moments.
14. to maintain an appropriate balance between academics, athletics, a social life and a spiritual life.
15. right from wrong. And that sometimes it's not that simple.
16. how to be calm in times of stress.
17. how to embrace confusion. If you push past it, you'll learn something.
18. how to advocate for myself. Intelligently.
19. that family is everything.
20. ...and so much more.

I love you, Dad!

I look forward to spending time with you this summer!

What My Mom Taught Me...

My mom has taught me more about love and life than I will ever be able to comprehend. As the years progress, I find myself reflecting more and more on my mom's inner strength, humility and integrity. I am older now and have some life experiences to realize just how remarkable this woman is. Just how much she has taught me in terms of every day living—being a strong, intelligent, loving, compassionate woman. She does it every single day. Just by being her.

Some lessons were practical, some were necessary, some were life changing, some happened when I was little, and some happened today. But all of them were a gift from my mother.

My mom taught me:

1. how to make a bed. Perfectly.
2. how to change a diaper. I had so much practice with my younger siblings, it was old hat by the time I had kids!
3. how to wrap and hold and bathe and dress and rock and feed a baby.
4. how to fold t-shirts. And towels. And men's underwear. (Why? Seriously...)
5. how to vacuum, dust, shake rugs, clean bathrooms, wash windows, sweep, polish silver, and do dishes. K.P. every night!
6. that "By the inch, life's a cinch. By the yard, life is hard."
7. that it's hard not to lose your identity when you're a mother of young kids. But it comes back. 
8. that asking for help can be difficult, particularly for someone like me who likes to do it all on my own. "Do it anyway, Sweetheart. Everyone needs help from time to time. It's not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of intelligence. Besides, that's what I'm here for."
9. that being a really competitive athlete AND a "sexy woman" were not mutually exclusive. ;)
10. how to laugh at yourself. To really belt out a chuckle when you do something "silly." It's healthy. And contagious.
11. to find time for yourself, however brief, every day.
12. how to hug. How to really give someone a hug that says, "You are all that matters in this moment. Can you feel it?"
13. right from wrong. And that sometimes it's not that simple.
14. how to protect the underdog.
15. that when you lose someone close to you, your Mom is there to hold you together.
16. that when you are worried about your newborn, or your toddler, or your grade schooler, or your teenager, or your child at any age, your Mom is there to talk you through it.
17. when someone makes you feel like a million bucks, your mom is there to listen to the story. And to be sincerely happy for you.
18. that family is everything.
19. that there's nothing more challenging and simultaneously rewarding than being a Mommy, a Mom, a Ma, a Momma, a Mother.
20. how to love. Unconditionally. I think she wrote the book.
21. that it's important to pass it all on. 
22. ...and so much more.

I love you, Mom!

I look forward to spending time with you this summer!