I stumbled upon the cartoon below and knew it was perfect for my Father’s Day post:
Indeed, if there was *one thing* my father always said while I was growing up, it was “Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.”
Actually, this wasn’t the only thing he said. There were many other nuggets of wisdom he spouted.
Over and over.
Now, to give you some context for the life lessons he passed down, I should mention a few things about my dad. He grew up in the Midwest, was an avid Boy Scout, played professional football for 13 years, and worked as a mechanical engineer. And, he is a great guy.
Without further ado, here are the 5 Life Lessons I learned from my Dad:
1. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
2. Nobody ever said life was fair.
3. Always blame “barking spiders” for any gas that you may have passed.
4. When sprinting, run on your toes.
5. “Walk it off” is the only first aid you need.
Thanks, Dad, for teaching me these important life lessons. Happy Father’s Day!
What about you? What life lessons has your dad taught you?
Horseshoe picture courtesy of ponsulak/Freedigitalphotos.net; Spider photo courtesy of Arvind Balarman/Freedigitalphotos.net; Sprinter photo courtesy of stockimages/Freedigitalphotos.net; Injured Cartoon Cat courtesy of Grant Cochrane/Freedigitalphotos.net.
It wasn’t barking spiders at our house, but “rabbits”. LOL. Another favorite was “Should we amputate?” when one of us was hurt and overreacting. Dads!
Terra recently posted…Wordless Wednesday
Ha ha! It’s like we were living parallel lives growing up! Should we amputate/Walk it off and Barking rabbits/Barking spiders. Dads for sure!!
It was “rabbits” in my household too, haha!
katie @ pick any two recently posted…Feel Good Friday: Beware the Busy Life
LOL. That’s awesome!
Terra recently posted…3 Reasons Father’s Day Gifts Kill Me
Fascinating! I’ve been blinded by spiders. Never heard of rabbits until now LOL!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…Five Life Lessons I Learned From My Dad
Good lessons from Dad. And it totally counts when matching socks too…you should see some of the pairs my kids leave the house wearing. LOL
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life recently posted…Women Entrepreneurs: Are You Ready to Launch a New Business?
The socks, yes! I loved the pair of “Miss Matched” socks my daughter had once. Three single socks, none of which matched, that you were supposed to enjoy wearing whenever, however. And she did.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…Five Life Lessons I Learned From My Dad
My dad was a big fan of walking it off, too! And that graphic made me laugh out loud! Love it! Your dad definitely sounds like he knew what he was talking about! :)-Ashley
thedoseofreality recently posted…Would You Rather: See Katy Perry Or Beyoncé In Concert?
I tell my kids to walk it off all the time 🙂 My dad probably said it to me! #perfectionpending
normaleverydaylife recently posted…Time Marches On
Ha! THe barking spiders one is definitely my favorite. 🙂 Such a fun list! Thanks for linking it up too!
Meredith recently posted…Mom U. The Classes I Would Offer If I Owned a University
Love these! Sounds a lot like my dad, too! 🙂 Glad you linked up with #TuesdayTen.
Lisa @ The Golden Spoons recently posted…Ten Things About Dad {Tuesday Ten LinkUp}
We have the same dad!! You aren’t missing a long lost sister are you? 😉 I thought only my dad had the horseshoe& hand grenade, the barking spiders, the run on your toes, walk it off, and that life isn’t fair sayings. His other fav was when we were shopping and I saw something on sale I’d remark “but it’s 50% off”…my dad would say “well it’s 100% off if we leave it here!”. 🙂
Megan Lisica recently posted…How can kids make a mess that fast?
Ha ha ha! I never heard the 100% off line. My frugal dad missed that one! I take it you must have a good sense of humor, too? I think he’s the reason why I laugh at life.
I haven’t heard the barking spider one! In our house, it was “stepped on a duck.” 😀
Ginny Marie recently posted…Ten Things I Love About My Dad
Ah, yes! The classic “stepped on a duck”. 🙂
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…4 Reasons I Prefer Summer Camp to School
Oh these are gold. So glad you left this link over at my place Katy. Thank you. My favourite has to be the “walk it off.” It was a common concept in my house growing up too. As I got older he changed it to “Oh just fix yourself a gin and quit your bitchin.'”
Kelly L McKenzie recently posted…Dad Sayings