My father died one month ago.
He was 61. He died quietly, and unexpectedly, in his sleep. I miss him.
I’ve been thinking about him a lot, trying to decide what words were right. The two of us had a complicated, confusing, and often infuriating relationship. We were so much alike in so many ways, but also managed to piss each other off all the time. So as I look back through my memories, it’s not all rosy, but I realized I have a lot to thank him for.
He was creative.
He (and my mom) passed that on to me and my sister. Dad was always making things. Welded sculptures, stained glass, woodworking, sketching little doodles on scrap paper. His regular work was as a tool & die maker, and later a bicycle repairman, and he always had side projects to keep him entertained. He never stopped making new things, it was just part of who he was.
He was never bored.
He loved to learn new things, and took to hobbies with gusto. Some stuck, some didn’t, but he always had something fun to look forward to. His latest? Beekeeping.
He was cheap.
Because of that, he found fun things to do that didn’t cost much. Bike rides, nature walks, a few bucks for an entire day at the Yale Peabody Natural History museum looking at dinosaur bones.
He hated waste (did I mention he was cheap?).
So he was into upcyling and repurposing before it had a trendy name. Part of my Christmas box this year was a set of drinking straws recycled from carbon arrow shafts, that he had made just for me.
He loved nature.
I remember LOTS of walks in the forest, trips to the beach, days at the arboretum, adventures in the marsh. He’d photograph all sorts of bugs and birds and creatures. He built bat boxes. He’d feed the birds.
He could be silly.
Funny songs, stupid jokes, ridiculous grins. Things weren’t always peachy, but he could be a hell of a lot of fun.
So to honor Dad, here’s what I’m going to do. You may not have known him, but maybe you’d like to join me.
- Make (and remake) stuff.
- Learn new things.
- Enjoy nature.
- Recycle.
- Research a subject that fascinates you.
- Invent something.
- Be silly.
- Have fun.
You can read more about Dad on his business blog, Your Bike MD, and in the Savannah Morning News.