Life Lesson #4

When I was younger my father and I were very close. He taught me serious life lessons that have gotten me through tough times. Although I am not that young anymore, and the relationship that was once there has dissipated, the memories that I have from what he taught me will stick with me forever. The man that I identify myself as today would not be here if it wasn’t for the memories that were made with him. Some lessons and memories are stronger than others but there is one that I will take to the grave.
It was midsummer and for the first time I was allowed to cut the grass by myself. I could feel the heat beating down as I was in an oven. There was a strong smell of mower exhaust mixed with fresh cut grass, and I was already tired with only half of the lawn cut. I began to speed up, not following the lines of the previous cut, and leaving spots uncut. I shut the mover off as I heard my father yelling at me “in this house you do a job 100% or not at all, half assing things only creates more work and shows you’re lazy.” From that day on I have rarely if ever not given 100% into anything that I do.
I may be an overachiever, a perfectionist, or just a hard worker, but I am not lazy. I’m an honest hardworking, do it the right way kind of man and if it wasn’t for my father’s lessons that I remember to the tee, I would not be the way I am.
JIM