Alexa…When Was Father’s Day?
It’s Monday evening and the beginning of Amazon Prime night.
My wife just told me she bought me an Alexa.
“Why, I asked, “did you buy me an Alexa? I have had an Alexa (oldest daughter) for almost 35 years and she has never done anything I have asked her to do!”
“Why should this Alexa be different?”
If the first time I ask this Alexa to do something, and she squinches up her mouth and lips to one side I know I am in trouble.
Of course, I know, this Alexa doesn’t have a mouth.
I hope.
It’s been a while.
I have been busy.
Too busy for things like Father’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, and especially writing.
For a brief stint I had a title again. “Missions Coordinator,” it was fun and rewarding.
I have never been one who cared much for titles. I was always a little self-conscious of my titles throughout my career.
The recent trend in the always creative business world with constant innovation is this desire to constantly innovate titles as well. But I say who really wants to go to their high school reunion and when asked what you are doing now, say they are the Happiness Hero, or the Chief Executive Unicorn, or the Paranoid in Chief, or the Marketing Ninja, or the Director of Fundom?
These are all real titles…I searched.
But the world does change and we have to change with it. We have to constantly innovate like it or not, in all aspects of our lives
I have this great ID bracelet that was given to me by one of my kids. But it doesn’t have my name on it, it has another title I tend to go by and that’s “DAD.”
I have to admit I don’t wear it as much as I should. But on a recent weekend that I expected to be a particular tough “Dad” weekend, I busted it out and snapped it on my wrist.
Maybe I needed some super power, like putting on my cape or “to the Bat Poles,” I was now Dad Ninja, Happiness Hero Dad, Director of Fundad.
Although Paranoid in Chief Dad might have been more accurate.
Last year on Father’s Day I lamented about how after all these years I was still learning how to be a father. But maybe I was being too hard on myself.
There are males out there who have fathered children but aren’t dads.
There are males out there who are active fathers but aren’t good role models.
But then there are also men out there, some even who have never fathered children, who fill a father’s role where there otherwise would be none. And they do it honorably, deserve great respect, and are powerful role models.
I have learned that this year. And though my report card includes some incompletes, some failures, a satisfactory or two; I might also get an exceeds expectations every now and then, so maybe I am earning a passing grade.
This past Father’s Day my buddy Jim did an awesome job filling in for the pastor at church. In his message he made the point that fathers leave a lasting legacy and asked the question, “What will your legacy be?”
I don’t know exactly but I am still working on it.
On that same weekend that I thought I needed the dad super powers, one of my kids told me I was her best friend. At the time the comment was made it was overshadowed by the rest of the conversation and not acknowledged.
But I heard it.
And I have remembered it
Maybe I did do something right.
This is my Father’s Day post for 2017 almost 4 weeks late. I was too busy to finish it at the time.
Too busy.
It happens I guess…we get too busy. So I guess better late than never applies.
That happens a lot when you are a Dad I think. Fathers often get too busy. We miss a lot.
But it’s better late than never for that as well, better to be late starting to work on that legacy than to be not at all. And too late can apply in this case.
My head is on my pillow tonight knowing my girls are happy and they are safe.
It’s been about 42 hours since my wife ordered my Alexa.
It just arrived, and I just set it up.
“Alexa, can I get a cup of coffee?”
“Whatsa matter your arms broke? Do I have Barista on my shirt?”
I know, I know this Alexa wouldn’t say that… I was just messing with you…that Alexa lives in Florida.
And besides there is no mouth, I checked.
Post Script:
Though this new Alexa is really cool, I still love my old one more.
Thankfully my kids are good sports. That is a little part of the legacy I think.
