20 Dadisms

 I can still hear my dad's voice in moments of personal joy, success, crisis and stress. He would meet me where I was with anecdotes and wisdom.  My dad was a worrier much like I am, so I always felt like he "got" me and my irrational fears. (Which was comforting).  In honor of my first Father's Day without him here earth side, here is a little tribute to him. Thanks for the lessons dad. I love you!



20 Dadisms
(In no particular order)

  1. "You can't get blood from a turnip" (you can't get something that doesn't exist)
2. "You will always have 3 slops and a flop as long as I'm around." (When I didn't have rent)
3. "I hope you never have any less. (When I was feeling especially sorry for myself)
4. " Illegitimi non carborundum--Don't let the bastards get you down." (On those particularly bad days, my dad would tell me this. It always made me laugh)
5.  "The Apple don't fall far from the tree!" (When he was most proud of me)
6. "Flattery will get you everywhere!" (How to get what you want in life)
7. "Always take the promotion!" (Seeking his advice on whether I should take a new job.)
8. "When someone shows you their true colors, believe them." Also known as "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me."
9.  "You don't treat someone based on how they treat you, because that isn't who YOU are!" Those moments I would tell him how I wanted to pay someone back for hurting me.
10. "Kill them with kindness." Encouraging me to use my energy in a constructive way
11. "It'll cost you a Yankee dime!" Payment in the form of a kiss.
12. "Your actions speak louder than your words." Always do the right thing.
13.  "If you come to me with problems in your marriage, I will always send you back to work them out. If you come to me with marks on your body, I will work it out!"
14.  "Life gets tedious, don't it?" followed by his rendition of "Foolish Questions". On those days life seemed very unfair.
15. "You're my favorite, just don't tell your siblings." self explanatory. 😂
16. "There is not a debtors prison, Rebecca!" When I came to him scared because I couldn't make my credit card payment. I'd used it to buy food and diapers. I was convinced I was heading for jail time.
17. When someone totaled my car, my dad came down to the attorneys office with me.  Although it was not my fault and the person admitted at the scene they had run a red light, when we read the accident report they had recanted saying they were not at fault. I kept asking him why a person would not tell the truth? I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. I think that affected me so much. He said it was probably just insurance related but it was in that moment I understood my father had taught me integrity.
18. "I know people in the court system." When I was worried about something happening to me and Ruby would be on her own, my dad was always the first person to ease my fears and tell me he knew how to work the system and she would always be taken care of. I have always known my dad would go to bat for me.
19. "We will do whatever it takes and sell whatever we need to to get her the care she needs." When Ruby's cat scan on her brain showed an anomaly I went directly to my parents. I didn't have good insurance and my dad met us at the door with tears in his eyes. I will never forget his words.
20. "I'm proud of you." I'm proud of you too, Dad.