gratitude

One of the best parts about growing up is that you get to know your parents not just as mom and dad, but as individual people who are navigating through life just like you are. While I do my best to express the gratitude I have for my parents on a daily basis, today I want to make my appreciation a little more well known.

Here’s to you, Daddio…

Mimicking his actions since way back when

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be like you. You were the coolest guy around; heck, you still are in my eyes. I never once saw you back down from a challenge or, better yet, not humbly admit to a fault of your own.

As I grew older, your patience must have grown with me. I can vividly remember you putting curlers in my hair the night before a cheerleading competition, painting my nails bright pink and putting up with the unbearable sounds of my trumpet. Yikes.

You taught me not to be scared of the outdoors and truly roughing it in the woods. During nights at home, you came to my bedside when I cried over “growing pains” (which clearly didn’t make me grow) and nightmares I always had about witches. You stopped my nosebleeds and took the wood sliver out of my finger while wiping away my tears; you did it all, and I never once felt like my worries were your burden.

Dad9 — Now that’s a man who loves his daughter.

My teenage years are really where your grey hair came in. It was at this time that I realized life does indeed come with very real struggles. Divorce, death and despair were familiar roadblocks that we dealt with as a family, but still your faith never wavered. More importantly, your love for me and our friendship only continued to grow.

You taught me how to drive in empty parking lots – I still remember you bringing your own cones and pieces of wood to lay out as obstacles to overcome. You fixed my car in the middle of winter, came to all of my cheerleading competitions, gave me the freedom to make my own mistakes, huffed and puffed your way through a 5K I made you run with me, and ended each day, no matter how difficult, with a hug and an I love you.

Down the road you moved me into my college dorm room. It was the first time any of your kids had moved away, and I think the distance broke my heart more than it did yours. I was scared without you right by my side, but you giving me freedom to test my limits was the best thing I never knew I needed.

You never failed to tell me how proud you were of me when I called with good news, and you also kept me grounded by reminding me not to get a big ego. As you helped me through college, I did my best to make you proud, though I inevitably stumbled a few times along the way.

I'm a sucker for candids. My dad and I at my college graduation, May 2012 — I’m a sucker for candids.

One of the best moments of my life was when I surprised you by giving the commencement speech at my undergraduate ceremony. I still don’t know how I kept it a secret for as long as I did! But it was the cherry on top, the ultimate way I could show you how much your support really meant to me. The candid of you and I hugging after my ceremony says it all.

After college things again got a little tough, both for me and our family. I struggled through some serious heartbreak and our family endured one curveball after the next, some more permanent than others.

On more than one occasion I called you crying, unsure of what to do or how to feel better. You always had an answer, yet sometimes I didn’t want to hear it because it was easier to wallow in my sorrows. No matter what, though, I took your insights to heart and used them to somehow push through the tough times.

I truly believe you were put on this earth to be my Dad. For little reasons like enjoying black coffee, being a Yankee fan, knowing who Jacques Cousteau and René Descartes are, loving the song Vienna by Billy Joel and sporting boat shoes and a ball cap for my go-to attire on the weekends.

More importantly, for big reasons like treating people with respect, not rushing through life, making a work-life balance a priority, and knowing the true value of family and of the words I love you. It takes someone tough to show their emotion, and I value that about you above all else.

You’re the best guy I’ve ever known, and the most dependable guy I’ll ever have to rely on. Thank you for giving me my wit, sarcasm, sense of humor, appreciation of adventure and family roots that are tough enough to endure any storm.

Happy Father’s Day, Daddio. May you never forget how truly impactful your constant love and support have been on me. I love you more than you’ll ever know.

Xoxo, your self-proclaimed favorite 😉

The older I get
The more I can see
How much he loved my mother and my brother and me
And he did the best that he could
And I only hope when I have my own family
That everyday I see
A little more of my father in me
– Keith Urban

Typically when I want or feel the need to get some exercise, my top choice is to go for a run. I can knock out a mile in 7-10 minutes (depending on my mood, the soreness of my knee and the number of doughnuts I ate that day), work up a sweat and come home with a feeling of accomplishment. It’s quick, simple and the only thing I think about is putting one foot in front of the other.

The past few days, however, i’ve slowed it down a bit and gone for walks instead. The positive side of working in the suburbs is that during my lunch break, I can step outside and take a 20-30 minute stroll. I’ve extended this after work as well, and try to step outside just before sunset and partake in the same low-key activity.

Today I found more appreciation for these simple steps than I once had before. As I strolled through my neighborhood, filled with old houses, beautiful gardens and elegantly cracked sidewalks, a handful of sights stuck out and made me smile from ear to ear.

There was a frame made of faded yellow roses on the center of the outside front door that reminded me of the yellow frame around the looking-hole in the TV show Friends.

An old couple was straight up giddy as they leisurely made their way across the street. They reminded me of a couple of kids without a worry in the world. Right across the block a newly-engaged couple I know was walking into a favorite local restaurant.

In front of one of the many old houses with a yard covered in wild flowers was a framed black and white photo of that exact home years ago nailed to a giant tree. The writing on it was faded, but the mystery of who put that photo there and what their connection to the home was made me stare at it wide-eyed for almost a full minute.

A few doors down there was a boy who couldn’t have been older than seven or eight years old practicing his soccer kick in his front yard as he took pointers from a man who appeared to be his father.

An old man in beat up jeans and an old T-shirt lit up a cigar as he kicked his feet up in an old wicker chair; two friends threw their heads back laughing as they sipped on a glass of wine in a front yard; a young guy had his laptop set up on a small table as he Skyped who appeared to be a friend or family member.

I walked for not even thirty minutes and I swear I saw all of this. However, I also saw a girl yanking her dog down the street as she stared zombie-like down at her phone, completely unaware of the world around her. That’s not to say she wasn’t sending an urgent text message or waiting for a life-changing email. I’m the last person who could or should be making assumptions about that sort of issue.

There are important parts of life that are more easily dealt with through the means of technology. Heck, i’m typing this on my MacBook Pro and I listened to music as I walked using my iPhone. Just make sure you set aside a time and a place for the parts of your life that can’t pop up in a notification on the screen of your phone. Those are the things that help us unwind after a long day, bring balance back to our demanding lives, and ultimately give us more peace of mind than we could have ever anticipated.

Take notice to all of those common yet astounding daily details. Let them overflow and positively affect other areas of your possibly-exhausted life. Absorb that hidden gratitude the best way you know how. The truth is, no one knows how many more steps they have left, how many more hands they’ll get to hold or cigars they’ll get to light up. In my humble opinion, there can be no harm in living a life with wonder and mindfulness. So take it all in; after all, it could all be gone tomorrow.

Confidently Katie

Insights inspired by passion

Daddy’s little girl

Simple steps