I never understood until I became a father

I always wanted to hold the hammer when dad was finished driving the nail. Fast forward 35 years and I still remember the feeling of watching my father work, my own super hero, protector and teacher. The progenitor of my existence and of generations of us to come.

I had the privelage of working with my father recently and it brought back a rush of memories from my youth. I was the holder of the tools while dad hammered away, I stood proudly by and sponged knowledge to be used in future decades.

My father has aged but so has my respect for him, he is a template from another generation when men used their hands and their minds simultaneously, a man taught by a man who fought for the freedom of the world.

Are there men of this caliber from my own generation?  possibly a small percentage but most of us are not the men our fathers, we are politically correct watered down versions of the men who hammered the nails and fixed the engines. We are cubicled lemmings who follow a pavlovian course to so called financial security while watching grizzled soldiers on CNN fight battles that shape our portfolios.

So thank you dad for being a complete role model, a man amongst men. Thank you for letting me hold the hammer and learn as you silently taught me manhood.

Cheers, Sausage.

Dad and wee red

Blackpool 1975