An Oldie but a Goodie. Warning: A Sappy Blogging Ode to my Dad



Oh and thanks for providing this awesome sleeping spot.

As I get older, I find that I have an increased tendency to look back on myself to better understand who I am and where I have come from. Today, was the birthday of one of the biggest influences of why I am who I am: my dad. Despite the usual ups and downs that can only be explained through teenage years, I have always felt very close to my dad. As the only girl in a flock of boys, I found myself more easily identifying with my own boyish side. Through my years of sports, both my parents were always a driving force and I can particularly remember my Scottish-soccer-loving father standing at the sidelines of my soccer matches either beaming with pride or yelling at me like I am letting an English soldier get to William Wallace. I was definitely one of those little girls who thought that her dad was the biggest, brightest, and "bestest" man in the world - I would size up other girls dads, always ultimately concluding that my dad could kick their asses (probably all at the same time). In light of my blogging premise of working out, I certainly think that my dad is one of the people that I need to thank. Competitiveness is something that I definitely developed as a bi-product of being the only girl, however I think that may be something that can sometimes work against a girl's confidence. Constantly comparing yourself to boys can be a challenge, lets face it, there are some fundamental differences between men and women in general that cannot be overcome with feminist theory. When it came to sports, my dad definitely made sure that I knew that I could be just as successful athletically as my brothers. As a premier league soccer player and someone who played on a women's rugby team when I was still in high school, I know that my dad was right about me. While my hiatus from athletics has been longer than I have ever thought it would have been, I know I will stay motivated so long as I have my dad there. He's a big reason why I quit smoking; that look of disappointment on his face was something that I couldn't just shrug off as some kind of difference between generations, I knew that he was disappointment because I was squandering my own physical potential in addition to compromising my own health. I have to thank him for not overwhelming me in negativity about this, but just being a constant presence that was subtly assuring me that I was better than that. I owe a lot to my dad, but I think one of the things that has always stood out the most in my mind was my dad's constant reassurance of my intelligence. Sure, my dad said it in a kind of joking manner, but he was always saying how I was the smartest. The smartest of what, or compared to who, who knows... the point wasn't that I was actually the smartest of anyone it was that I was smart and that was a good thing. I feel pity for that breed of girl that feels the need to act like she is stupid in order to not threaten guys, or whatever other reason people have come up with to explain why this incredibly ridiculous behaviour continues to occur. I am very thankful that I never had this problem, it was always emphasised to me that intelligence is important and never anything to be ashamed of.
Here's to dad's.
Especially mine, happy birthday Dad!

Day 2:
20:00
50-70rpm
7.4km