My father, Suresh, gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person. He believed in me.
One of my fondest memories of growing up is a little tradition my dad and I have, and it’s related to oranges. Odd, I know. As a little girl, I would sit on the balcony with my dad as we both soaked up the sun. He would bring oranges for us to eat, but before passing them to me, he would peel them. As I grew older, this small tradition continued; he would bring oranges to the dining table and flawlessly peel them before handing me the perfect slice of orange.
As I made my way through high school and then college, I begin to notice all of the sacrifices my dad has made for me and the family. I realized that him peeling those oranges was a metaphor for the way he lived his life. He always put and continues to put his family first. And just like he removes the distasteful orange peel, he does what he can to remove any hurt and sadness from our lives.
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of hearing many dad jokes from him, but I’ve also received some advice that I’ll never forget. Here are just 10 of the strong and simple lessons I’ve learned from my dad.
10 lessons from my dad
- Always treat people with respect and be nice to everyone.
- Always maintain your personal integrity.
- Maintain balance in your life.
- Never let money be the primary motivator for what you decide to do. Success is determined by who you are and how you lead your life.
- Invest in yourself.
- Live beneath your means.
- Try new things.
- Nourish your network.
- Do not ignore small things.
- Pursue your dreams.
So, to all the dads out there – thank you for taking us under your wings. Thank you for teaching us and believing in us. Thanks for being you!
Oh…and when does a joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent! (A little dad humor for all of you!)
