I'm a Lot Like You

Blouse: vintage * Cardigan: Forever 21 * Pants: Old Navy * Scarf: gift * Necklace: Etsy * Earrings: self-made * Boots: Steve Madden * Belt: thrifted

Today is my dad's birthday. I am in no way exaggerating when I say that my dad is the coolest. One part Richard Feynman (with the coif of Albert Einstein), one part Neil Young, and all parts awesome. Some people spend their lives trying to live up to their parents, and they do it out of spite, or jealousy, or some weird oedipal competition. I have, and will, spend my life trying to live up to my dad, and I do it because I genuinely think he is an incredible person. If I end up being half of the person that either of my parents are, I will have accomplished more in my life than I could hope to do. Apart and together, they are my role models, my vision for the life I want to have, my yardstick for what kind of person I am now and what kind of parent I hope to be someday.

My family has always been super tight. The four of us are a unit, a perfect combination of personalities, opinions, and knowledge. My favorite memories of growing up are our nightly dinners. We would sit around the table every night, even through my sister and my years in high school, and share our thoughts about the day, the world, and the future. I remember having dinners that lasted hours, and conversations that left us laughing, reconsidering, learning, occasionally crying, and always connecting. I know my family. I know how they think, what they love, where their minds are when they're daydreaming, and what they want and hope and plan. I love that after years of living apart, I still feel as connected to them as I did all those years when I would come downstairs for dinner. They are my world.

So, happy birthday, Dad. You are, unequivocally, the best father I could have ever had. You have taught me more than anyone else. Until a probably embarrassing age, I thought you knew everything, and I'm still convinced that you will know the answer to any question I could have. You taught me how to think, and how to reason. You taught me how to appreciate music, and how to strum a few chords on the guitar. But mostly, you taught me what it means to love people unconditionally, and to be a part of a family that has been the basis for all the good things in my life. I love you very much.

Title song: Neil Young, "Old Man"