My Dad Taught Me That

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Growing up was tough. My dad taught me so much stuff:

He taught me how to tan a hide using cow brains, to correctly stack T-Pee poles, how to throw a tomahawk and shoot a bow and arrow. I learned to carve wood and that my dad’s wood carving during my first concert was embarrassing. I learned to play golf and how to carry my dad’s clubs. I learned how to correctly recycle aluminum cans, setting out two evenly spaced lines of soda and beer cans down the driveway the stomping your way down the driveway atop the cans like a slow moving train. I learned all about beer and how to brew your own. I learned math from an aerospace engineer who specialized in weights analysis in great detail. I knew the truth about pocket protectors and the glasses pouch and about being prepared from an Eagle Scout. I learned about leveling a pop-up camper in a canyon next to the train tracks. I learned that in the 80’s, driving with the camper door open will get you pulled over faster than driving with a Coors between your legs. I learned how to time an engine, change the oil and the tires on a Volkswagen bug. I learned about grinding wheat, kneading dough, and hoping it would rise.

And on the day I finally said, “Dad, I’m gay,” My dad looked at me and simply replied, “You’re my son, and I love you no matter what.” It was that day I learned about love, respect, generosity and kindness. And it was on that day, that everything I’d ever learned from my dad finally made sense. Everything on the list of things I learned was to teach me how to be a man. It didn’t mean that I had to have the same interests but that I needed to be interested. It wasn’t about me following in his footsteps but about me learning how to take my own. I stopped being embarrassed by the things my dad did when I finally told my dad who I was.

I am very proud to acknowledge the relationship that I have with the man I call “Dad”. He is exemplary. He did his very best to make sure that I learned everything I would possibly need to learn about self-preservation and how to have a hobby or few.