"Happy Daughter Day"

(this post is dedicated to all those celebrating Father's Day today by fondly sifting through delicious memories and special moments and not necessarily with the tangible presence of their beloved Dads...)

The other day I was chatting to my mum when she mentioned that she was only a few years older than I am now when cruising around Amsterdam with me and the husband pre-marriage in our yellow camper van 'Mellow Yellow.'  Let's not even get into how highly unorthodox it was (though a testament to how cool my mum was) to have a parent tag along with you and your boyfriend for three weeks on the continent when barely out of your teens...or that in hindsight, Amsterdam may not perhaps have been the natural destination for such a threesome.

What freaked me out was the fact that TIME IS RACING BY with such disconcerting speed that my brain keeps internally flashing a "DOES NOT COMPUTE" sign when confronted by a timescale as skewed as this. It cannot be. No way am I that old.  I call time and insist on a recount!

I am so busy being preoccupied these days by banal issues such as housing, schooling, child rearing, etc. that I am missing le grande picture.  For real.

Today being 'Father's Day' was a rude awakening to how precious life is and how much I should be grateful for.  Without getting too mushy and 'faux deep' about it, I just want to say that spending today with my nearly 81 year old Dad was a special privilege that jolted a healthy dose of much-needed reality into my weary brain.

I have so many (too many) friends who today, were not able to sit across the table from their father and clink glasses and share a smile.  Many friends who would have given anything to have one more afternoon with their beloved Dad and get the chance to tell him how great a guy he is and how much they have loved having him in their lives.  Or maybe to just share a beer and a few stupid jokes.

I got that chance.  And for that I feel so lucky.  My Dad isn't just a loving parent, but one of my best friends.  I adore his dry sense of humour and the way he sees the little girl in me when most only see a weary mother of three.

I love how my Dad is almost always right about people and situations...even when it pisses me off. How many people can lay claim to having their very own Yoda - one who not only doesn't dispense advice unless asked - but truly believes you could be ruler of the universe should you so desire.  (fyi MasterCard...that is priceless.)

There are many things I lack:  the ability to make a spreadsheet, organisational skills, a UK driving license, the ability to walk by a designer sale and not have a wee little peek inside, etc...just to name a few.  But one thing I have never lacked is foresight.

Since childhood when I recall sobbing in the bath after my grandparents bid me goodbye and it dawned on me that they were getting older and wouldn't be around forever, I have always been aware of the transitory nature of life.  It has plagued me forever, even through the reckless, relentless and seemingly endless days and years of University and Travel.

And now, at this age, this stage, and with a perspective one has to earn not learn, I gratefully accept the gift of my parents, and that is something I am going to continue to treasure and make a priority in my life.

And after a fabulous day spent with my one and only Dad on Father's Day, I have (as my mother likes to call it) yet another 'golden coin' for my 'memory bank'.

Lucky girl.

my wise ol' mum

oh what a perfect day...