I haven’t written a blog post in 3 weeks due to lack of creativity and motivation to write because of all the events happening in our society and the world. But, today came at a perfect time to turn that around! Today, on Father’s Day, I’m sparked with the creativity and motivation to write by thinking about how grateful I am for two men in my life who I get to call dad, my Dad and my future father-in-law. This post is dedicated to them both to express how lucky I am to have men in my life that I can look up to.
To my Daddy-o:
My best personality traits come from you! I’ve inherited your sense of humor and your ability to go with the flow of life. These traits have helped me look at all the positives of life and to fully believe that everything will work out. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more aware of how important it is to always make sure I am laughing and happy every single day to bring out that positivity that gets me through moments where I don’t feel like myself.
I have countless memories of just the two of us having the time of our lives. The times you would take me to any sports practices and games that you were playing in (which is how I developed my love of sports), the times where I would ride around in your postal truck (even though I was not supposed to, probably where I developed the idea that some rules can be broken), and all the times we would watch music videos together after you would pick me up from school while we would wait for Mom to come home. I also cannot forget every single volleyball game you attended from middle to high school, shouting manically from the stands “Let’s Go, E!” That support is how I played my best (and how I continue to do my best today), even if I didn’t win every single game.
But, the memory I remember most and the words of wisdom I still carry with me today is when you told me: “If I say hi to someone and they don’t say hi back, I won’t say hi to them again. But, if they do say hi, I make sure to say hi back.” For those reading, this may sound simple or a little harsh, but this was important for me to hear because this is genuinely how I navigate and treat other people today. I took this as “treat others the way that I want to be treated”. I will always say hi first, I will always treat other people with kindness, I will always offer my support and help with an open heart. The moment that I do not receive it in return, is when I stop and put those efforts elsewhere that is appreciated. This has helped me with eliminating friendships that serve no value and it has helped me to make sure my kindness was never being taken advantage of in friendships or relationships. In my adult life, I have surrounded myself with people who I know love and support me as much as I have shown my love and support for them because of this message you gave to me, Dad. This is an important value that I would want to make sure is passed down to my children one day.
You are the best Dad I could have ever asked for and you spoil me rotten! When I ask for something, you always pull through (like when we got Pepsi!). I also want to add that the love and protection you’ve given Mom is something I’ve tried to look for myself, and I’m confident I found that with Jesse.
To my future father-in-law, Han:
The reason why Jesse and I get along so well is because I have noticed he gets his sense of humor and the “don’t sweat the small stuff” mentality from you! When a conversation gets too serious, you throw in a joke to lighten the mood to bring us back to a happy place. When anyone nags or complains, you say “don’t worry about it.” Jesse brings these traits that he inherited from you into our relationship, which has made it easier for me to be as happy and as carefree as I want to be, every single day.
My favorite part about you (which is why I love Jesse so much because he gets this from you), is that you are always listening and you give everyone the space to express themselves. And, when you do say something, I notice everyone stops and listens to you. Since I’ve been with Jesse and spending more time with you, I’ve been trying to practice listening more and giving my opinion when I feel like it will be important to the conversation, which is hard for me because I spend more time talking than listening. It’s such an important quality to have, and I’m lucky that I can learn that from you.
I also want to add a favorite memory of us together that makes me laugh is when you and I were watching back to back youtube videos on TV of BTS fans reacting to BTS performances (for those who don’t know who BTS is, they are a super popular K-pop group). Jesse was with us at some point during that time, but he eventually left and I continued to watch with you. This was an eye-opening experience, seeing how popular this K-pop group became around the world. It was a fun moment and speaks volumes of how comfortable we are with each other to spend that time together.
I realized something important after writing both of these letters to my dads: they’re the same. The way Jesse and I have fun, laugh, enjoy life and go with the flow is because we learned all those things from our dads. I really can’t express enough how truly grateful I am to have the male figures that I need in both homes.
Thank you Dad and Han for everything you do for us, everyday! Happy Father’s Day!