Despite my title this is not a post about dads who have a few too many hits on the beer bong the night before a big trip to The Home Depot with the fam. Although it might be more humorous if it was. Who doesn’t love that Hank the Tank scene?
No, actually with the start of baseball season and the recent feel good streak of wins by my hometown 9, the Seattle Mariners – I have been thinking of streaks recently. And when I do think of streaks, I usually think of baseball.
I had the good fortune to be in attendance at the Kingdome in Seattle as Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 8th home run in as many games back on July 28th, 1993. The place went wild, and I remember it like it was yesterday.
Then, of course, there are the most famous of baseball streaks. Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak – which I consider to be probably the greatest single accomplishment in sports – and Cal Ripken Jr’s consecutive games played streak of 2632 over a 17 year span for the Baltimore Orioles. I was actually in attendance at Camden Yard in Baltimore for one of those games on May 23rd, 2000, and although I don’t know what number that game was in his streak, I do know he hit a game winning two run homer again the Mariners that night. He was certainly something special to watch.
All this talk of streaking brings me back to the title of this post. Even though it’s not sports related, I am very proud to report that this dad has a streak going of his own. While growing up on a small town farm in the 7o’s and 80’s I always knew my dad loved me very much. The thing was, he just didn’t say it much. If at all.
But since the day my son Lukas was born, I have made sure to say those three words to him every day. Often many times. A streak of 1408 straight days, and counting. Obviously, I am not close to setting any kind of record here, but it sure is a nice feeling to look back on this streak and realize what it must mean to him to hear this each and every day from his dad.
I haven’t kept track, but he has a mini streak of his own going on as Wednesday upon seeing me arrive to pick him up from pre-school he ran across the play yard, jumped into my arms and held me firmly around the neck for a few seconds before leaning back, kissing me on the nose and saying “I love you daddy”.
That, right there my friends, is what it’s all about.
How about you, Revolutionaries? Have you been #DadStreaking lately?
*Image from Wikipedia