What My Dad Gave Me
He did not give me the seat next to him at a San Diego Chargers game. He had season tickets when I was a kid, but I only found out about it years later.
He gave me the ability to talk to anyone because I couldn't stand the awkward silences that he provided.
He gave me really nice houses to grow up in, but we moved a lot for his work, and things never seemed to be going well, so he gave me financial anxiety, too.
He gave me the tools to withstand a sexist world. He would say: Hillary looks ugly in her pantsuits. And her voice! Women don't belong on the golf course. This was my exposure therapy. He gave it generously.
He didn't give me a response when I was little and watching a baseball game on TV with him. Why, I wanted to know, did the umpire call a strike when the batter didn't swing his bat? He couldn't be bothered to explain.
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