Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my father's birthday. He is turning another year older, but he swore at me when I suggested it was seventy. I gave him a call this morning but I figured he wasn't up yet, so I left a message. My dad used to be a notorious early riser, especially on the weekends. He loved going to flea markets and garage sales. I often went with him. He used to try to make me haggle. Oh, how I hated haggling. At eight years of age, the last thing I wanted to do was try and barter with someone over their crappy second hand stuff. To this day, I still won't try to get an unsuspecting elderly person to lower their price. 

In this way, I am not like my father. He is the Master Haggler. 

How am I like my Daddy-O? 

Well, I certainly am a unique combination of both my parents, but the hot headed tendencies come from my dad - not to mention this off beat sense of humour you might have picked up on. My passion for making myself laugh? Yeah, you can thank my dad for that as well. I am a sarcastic wise-cracking beast with a stubborn streak to rival that of a toddler. And, if you took a long hard look at the two of us, you'd probably notice we have the same nose and scowl. Let us not forget my ability to curse. 'Fuck' is by far one of my most favourite words and I know my father shares a love for it. And this sweet tooth? Thanks, Dad. 

The truth is, I am very much like my father. And I miss him immensely. He lives up in the mountains, a ferry ride and five hour drive away from me, but there are no excuses for not seeing him. It's scary to think it's been two years - possibly more. This is a hard fact to swallow considering we used to have dinner every week when I lived in the city and he commuted down for work, and he always kept me in supply of quarters for the laundry machines in my apartment buildings. Sure, there were tough times growing up. We had our pains and father-daughter battles. But in the end, he's my friend. He makes me laugh, even though I'm unsure if it is intentional, and he's always there to answer my questions, granted it might come a little later than intended. And he would definitely be my lifeline if I was ever on a game show. 

For the most part, he's never really given me a hard time - I mean, not since I moved out of his house. He never had much to say about the nautical obsession, old man pants, uniform shirts, blue hair, tattoos, piercings, or anything else I've dabbled in. Then again, my older siblings pretty much ensured I could never surprise my parents with anything. But my dad, he's always been there. This funny man with a white-hot temper but an undeniably big heart, has always helped when I needed it, and even when I didn't.

To this day, I know he's on my side. He's a member of my team. Back up, if you will. Always there with an ill-timed joke or awkward hug. It's pretty amazing to exist in the world with the knowledge that my father has my back and you know what? It makes going through life a little bit easier. 

So, Happy Birthday to Daddy-O! Love you lots and hope we get to see each other soon.