Sunday, June 17, 2012

My Dad

My first memory of my dad involved us living on the campus of one of our community college's, sitting on our front porch while we ate barbeque potato chips. I don't know why that was the memory that stuck, considering I almost downed a bottle of nail polish remover while living there, and I don't even know if that memory was real, but that's something I hold on to. I guess it's because it's the first memory of my dad, and that's precious in itself.
My family tells me a lot of stories about my dad and I when I was younger: how I only ate whatever he fed me himself, how I followed him everywhere and did what he did, and how I'd cry if he wasn't around. I don't remember a day in my life where I didn't love and admire my dad, and you can see it in everything I do and say. The greatest compliment I've ever gotten was when my grandmother laughed at me and said "You look just like Todd right now!" That made me beam, because being just like my dad has been my dream for the past two decades.
I consider my dad to be the greatest man in the world; he's absolutely hilarious, no matter what the situation, even if we're having a fight, he'll make me want to laugh and blow my whole argument. He's got one of the biggest hearts out there, and he's dedicated to the people he keeps in it. He's so smart, and he inspires me to educate myself, because it's never a regret to be one of the smart people. He's got to have the strongest resolve on earth, especially to keep being my dad, because I know I had a few years where being my family member wasn't an easy job to have. I'm proud of his successes, of his bravery in life and in his career, and I'm especially proud to be Todd's daughter.
In my twenty years of life, I've had my mother walk out on me multiple times, some of my other family members let me down and deliberately try to hurt me, but I've always had my dad. He never gave up on me, never stopped loving me, and taught me so many things about myself and life in general that I know for a fact I have the tools to navigate this insanely world with at least a good sense of humor. Life completely screwed me in the mom department, but if I had to pick this life with my dad in it, or a life with a typical picket-fence family, I'd choose this one every day out of the week.
I see bits and pieces of him in myself more and more every day, and it's an incredible feeling. My dad makes me so happy and I love him so much. The impact he's had on my life is tremendous, and I know that if I didn't have him to look up to and depend on, I'd be in an awful place in my life. Or at least less awesome. I don't want to be a person that wasn't influenced by him.
Todd Bailey, thank you for letting me be your daughter, which is a shining honor, and for being my dad, which is the most divine of blessings. Every achievement I make, I'm thanking you, and every good decision I make instead of falling for the same traps many of my peers fall in, you get credit for. I'm a funny, smart, creative, loving, strong, determined, open-minded, curious, forgiving, decent, helpful, dependable, responsible, honest, and brave young woman because of YOU, and if I make you proud every day of my life, then I'm on the right path. Every life I touch and make happy is because you made me a person that's able to do any of that. I've still got a lot to learn and grow, and I'm looking forward to it, because you'll be there to watch me do it. Wherever this life takes me, I'll always be your baby.
I love you, more than my own life, and that will never, ever stop.

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