Most of you experienced my blog post a month ago outlining
the struggle my dad suffered from alcoholism.
The post also tells about his ultimate healing and continued recovery 20
YEARS LATER. If you missed it you can read it here.
20 years of sobriety is pretty awesome, but living 58 years
is something that can’t be overlooked. Yep…Dad
turned 58 yesterday. This week’s top ten list consist of words I think best
describe my dad…Zane Jay McDonald.
10. Funny. I know what you’re thinking and yes…that’s where
I get it. He has a very dry, sarcastic
sense of humor much like you’ll find here at From This Side of Thirty. He is always cracking jokes and looking
to get a laugh from everyone…waiters and waitresses…his customers at work…doctors
and nurses…and of course his friends and family.
9. Grumpy. He spends every waking hour on-the-go and
eventually that catches up with an old man knockin on 60’s door. He sometimes
stretches himself to thin which can make him quite the cantankerous fella at
times. Luckily, those close to him know not to take offense.
8. Athletic. For as long as I can remember dad has been
active in some way. Whether he is running, lifting weights or working with a
trainer he is committed to keeping his body healthy and in shape.
7. Sweet Toothed-(Because that is a word) Dad sits down in
his recliner religiously around 10pm every night with a tub of Bluebell ice
cream. (This could possibly explain why he is so committed to his regular
workouts.) He gets a dish towel, gets
the tub from the freezer, then…this is the most important part…puts the lid
back into the freezer because who hasn’t tried to put the lid back on the ice
cream only to have melted cream from the lid pour out and drip all over the place.
He’s a professional.
6. Generous. Dad is always one step ahead on the gift
giving. In years past, he has picked up on hints I didn’t even know I dropped
months before Christmastime even rolled around. He finds great delight in
finding the perfect gift for the people he loves.
5. Supportive. Ole Jus and I looked at dad 11 Christmases
ago and told him we were getting married. Doesn’t sound like much, but I was 19,
we had been dating only 8 weeks and he was much older, divorced with 2 kids.
Dad never missed a beat…stuck his hand out to shake Jus’ and told him to take
care of me. He could have a grown-man-fit, but he chose to support his young
adult daughter and her new fiancé. For thirty years that’s the kind of support
he has shown me and I’ve seen the same kind of backing for the rest of his
family and friends.
4. Hunter. Dad spends the better part of the entire year
doing some sort of hunting. I find myself constantly telling my boys, “Don’t
get used to this lifestyle because it is very unlikely you will be able to hunt
as often as your Z when you grow up.” When dad is in town he can be found at
his office from 7:30am until well after 5 most days…but he isn’t always in
town. Between September 1st and the last day of February dad is rarely
home and hunts all sorts of things like dove, quail, teal, deer, pheasant,
goose and more ill-fated unsuspecting types of wildlife.
3. Obsessive Compulsive. Dad’s closet is like none you have
ever seen. Everything has a place and everything is in its place. If you were to ride in his truck you notice
the same thing. You might assume he just drove it off the lot, but no…it looks
like that all the time. If you ever visit his office please don’t touch
anything on his desk because that would disrupt the entire system he has had in
place since I was 2 years old.
2. Elusive. Dad not so much, but I just overheard that word
on an episode of Duck Dynasty and I
wanted to use it.
1. Committed. At some point over the last 58 years Dad has
been fully committed to everything from Boy Scouts to completing his Eagle
Scout, playing pool and playing golf, water skiing and coed softball, eating
beef and avoiding chicken, coaching T-ball to watching high school baseball and
softball, raising kids to enjoying grandkids, riding horses and roping cattle, totally
drunk to entirely sober, unhealthy to athlete, and from son to husband to dad
to Z. He is one of my very favorite
people on the planet. Love you, Dad! Happy Birthday…FROM THIS SIDE OF THIRTY.
Labels: Dad
