Day of the Dad
It’s June 21st – the longest day of the year. It means lots of daylight ‘til around 9pm, as well as the fact that half the year is almost over. How the hell is that even possible?
Well, as we all know, yesterday was the one day a year where we are officially noted as king’s of our proverbial castles, rulers of the family unit, and masters of all out manliness. It was Father’s Day, the one day where I don’t get yelled at for eating like a pig and laying around like a fat-ass, cigar sucking sloth.
Father’s day is actually pretty special for me for a few reasons. My kids spend time with me and go out of their way to make me feel special and my wife doesn’t get on my ass for a whole 24 hours – it’s an amazing relief! I cook up a kick-ass dinner on the grill, I actually get a nap in during the day, and I have my parents over, which I’m so grateful that they’re still around.
I really did have an outstanding Father’s Day this year and it really is nice to be recognized for something that is mostly taken for granted by everyone. Even in a day and time when woman hold high positions and work every bit as hard as we do, the man still has a pressure on him that has been passed on from generation to generation, and society still looks to us to be the “rock” of the family, the bread winner, the man in charge. And with that being said, I think having a day that gives us just a little bit of credence for who we are and what we do is really kind of nice, extremely refreshing, and definitely well needed.
Okay, I’m incredibly fortunate that my dad is breathing and healthy and still enjoys his family and life in general. He and mom came over yesterday for New York Strip steaks charred up medium rare on the grill, Ceaser salad, toasted garlic bread, and icy cold Belgian Ale. Afterwards we headed to the back patio for hearty JR Ultimate maduros and a lot of strolling down the path of memory lane. I lit the torches as the sun sunk behind the oak trees as time just magically stood still for an hour or so.
I’ve always felt that I’m kind of fortunate that I have both a girl and a boy. It’s nice having experienced the best of both worlds as a dad. While I’ve enjoyed travel hockey and baseball with my son, I learned a whole new world that existed called dance, swimming, and girl scouts. Yeah, I was out of my element, but I did the good dad thing and was always there for the youngins. One day when I’m elderly and crusty with a fresh steaming loaf planted firmly in my Depends, I’ll never feel bad about my dadness because I was always there and was always an important part of my kids lives. And I’m SO HAPPY to say that my father can most certainly feel the same way.
So it’s Monday and back to the grind for so many of us, but I really feel like my mental and spiritual batteries were re-charged by the one day a year that is known as Father’s Day. And I say to my loving wife that it’s okay, you now have 364 days to yell at your lazy-ass man-pig sloth. Love you too, honey.
Enjoy the heat my peeps,
Tommy Z.
JR CIGARS BLOG with the Zman
