Lessons From Dad

In my Mother’s Day post, I mentioned I had a Love Notes postcard earmarked for Father’s Day.

We learn just as much from our fathers as we do from our mothers. Sometimes, the lessons are the same, sometimes very different.

My penfriend Eileen V. wrote a list of 10 things her father taught her on the back of a postcard featuring a beautiful lavender field.

“Look for a quiet place and take your time and space to grow your own dreams.” –Zen Wisdom

She writes:

My father taught me:

  1. to enjoy traveling and enjoy nice food
  2. to learn languages
  3. to take up conversation with strangers and foreigners
  4. to listen well
  5. to play tennis
  6. to go sailing
  7. to read lots of books and play Lego
  8. how to tie a bow
  9. to enjoy and cherish silence/quietness/tranquility/solitude
  10. to respect life, animals and nature

You may have already read about my awesome dad in a tribute I wrote a couple of years ago, but in case you need a reminder, here’s a succinct list of some of the things I learned from my father.

  • You have a “right” to your own truth. Speak it.
  • Don’t quit. Stick it out. Finish what you start.
  • Get a formal education and never stop learning.
  • In any way you can, be there for family and friends.
  • Question everything.
  • Take care of your things.
  • Argue your point, but don’t lose friends over it.
  • Celebrate life and accomplishments.
  • Take time for music. Don’t just dance or sing along; listen to it
  • Be a good, honest person and look for the good in others.
  • Know your worth and accept nothing less.
  • When the going gets tough, get tougher.
  • Relax the rules sometimes. A donut for breakfast every once in a while won’t hurt. 😉

So many essential lessons, and that isn’t all, of course!  What have you learned from your father?

To all the fathers reading this–

[the only way you’ll find “me” cutting grass–in a bitmoji] 😀

18 thoughts on “Lessons From Dad”

  2. Sheila Marie Delgado says:
    Reply

    Love the card, the quote, the lists 😉
    Well, too much to mention right… but my Father taught me to love many forms of music. To treat myself to the “Very Best!” once in a while, even if I could not afford it on a regular basis. Food, clothes, whatever it may be. He taught me to love learning, reading, words. And eating vegetables.
    My Dad Pete taught me to loosen up and have fun. I was a serious, shy kid. He taught me how to drive on a stick shift, and how to dance with a boy.

    All muy importante, no?! 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  3. franhunne4u says:
    Reply

    What have I learned from my grandfather, who was more of a father figure to me than my father:
    – Family is important (but I also learned from his bad example to not overexaggerate this importance).
    – Be generous. You cannot take your material possessions with you, but people will think good of you when you help them with. On the other hand, do not waste things.
    – Be reliable. Nobody wants a friend/person you cannot rely on. When you say you are there at a certain time, be there five minutes beforehand. (He even had an adage: Five minutes before the time are the soldier’s punctuality – Germans in general say: Punctuality is the politeness of kings. Lately we have become really republican 😉
    – Forgive. He was sometimes bearing grudges that would affect the lives of others and his own. Who ever bears the grudge is the one burdened.
    – Do not fear to travel and be open to foreign things.
    – Learn. Knowledge cannot be taken from you. Belongings can.
    – Do try new things. He had to work in so many different fields of life he was not prepared for or trained in, just to keep alive after war – he was a jack of all trades.
    – Cherish the simple things in life. He was always unimpressed by people who showed off their belongings.
    – Learn when things “will do” – or when you have to improve them – and when you have to get a professional.
    He literally taught me to read, on his lap, with his favourite tabloid paper (you know, a paper with those bloody murder stories and sex-scandals in the headlines … And I was about 4 years old …)
    He taught me how to change a wheel, how to work with tools, how to laugh about myself (that took some time to learn, though – I truly grasped that after his death), how to drive, how to go on after a “catastrophy” – and how little some things matter in the long run and also how small things matter a lot.
    His example also taught me to question a doctor (he was prescribed a medicine against his high blood pressure and one to raise it, when the first medicine made him dizzy …)
    And I learned from him that you have to stand up and draw a line to not end up a victim.
    So I learned both from good and bad habits of his. I was living with him and my grandma for most of my life, only somewhere along 3 years I spent with my parents.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Chandra Lynn says:
      Reply

      This is an incredible list! You could have very well written your own blog post. And it’s not too late–you should do it! All valuable lessons, but I’m seriously laughing at how you were taught to read. It worked! No primers for you!

      Liked by 1 person

      • franhunne4u says:

        I am not sure if he really got the most gruesome headlines out or if he skipped the lessons on days when it was very improper. But we are German, we are rather relaxed (and my grandfather was born in 1910, when Germany still had an emperor!) what little children can take – and what screws them up forever.

        Like

  4. Minister Jeanie Shepard says:
    Reply

    Hello Chandra,
    What a delightful post! Your Father was indeed a wise man. All that he shared with you were strong building blocks to a bright and successful future. I need to write down those important facts to share with my grandchildren. Thank you for sharing. Have an extraordinary day! God bless.

    Liked by 1 person

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