As a college student, I like to think I’m pretty cool. Or, as the kids like to say, I’m dope. Oh gosh, there I go again sounding like a dad. I feel like it just slips out. It’s like I can’t control my inner dad anymore. Actually, the more I think about it, I don’t know if I want to control my dadness anymore. I think it’s time to embrace and accept my dad tendencies.
I’ve always been extremely goofy growing up, and that’s all because of my own dad – the legend known as Bill McKenna. We’ve always been very close since we have the same personality. We’re calm, cool and collected, like most dads tend to be. If my mother and sister were ever in an argument, we would sit back and relax until they asked us for direct intervention. Dads like to stay on everyone’s good side, so that’s what I did.
As I’ve gotten older, the dad tendencies haven’t gone away. If anything, they’ve become more prominent. I even wear dad shoes now. You know, the sandals with all the Velcro straps and padding for people with bad feet. They may not be cute, but I go for comfort over style. If that doesn’t scream dad, I don’t know what does.
In the picture above, you can see my lovely black orthopedic dad sandals standing on the glass lookout at the Willis Tower in Chicago. I walked 13 miles downtown in those shoes and didn’t complain once, so these shoes are winners to me. Every time I strap them on, I feel ready to take on the world.
Another dad thing I like to do is grocery shopping. I used to be my dad’s little buddy at the grocery store when I was a kid, and he trained me well on how to compare prices and use coupons to get the best deal. So what if I like strutting down the Walmart aisles, sue me!
I chose the dad life, and the dad life chose me, so it’s a perfect match. While I like to think I’m a cool dad, I would like to give a shout out to the original cool dad, my father. Thank you for teaching me that being goofy is the way to go in life.