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Father’s Day has passed, but it’s still very relevant to me because last Sunday, my family celebrated my Dad. 

I’ll start by saying I’ve never been an action movie type of person. I’m a Disney princess type, the kind that makes me laugh or feel all fluttery because of the simple romance and spot-on one-liners that Disney doesn’t get a lot of credit for.

But let me jump right in.

Dear diary: When I was 11 years old, I went to the theater with my parents and older sister, who all wanted to see an action movie that I was certain would bore me to death. Meanwhile, at the same time and theater, there was a showing of “Tangled,” the Rapunzel princess movie that––might I add––gained far more traction than that action movie and a much larger audience.

I begged my family to go see the Disney movie instead. It had a horse with a lot of personality, a criminal prince, and a princess with long blonde hair like my little self.
My mom and sister told me no to the Disney movie and begged me to stop begging, but my Dad gave up the action movie to go watch “Tangled” with me.

We’ve been watching movies together ever since.

Recently, I suffered through John Wick, and he effortlessly sat with me through my phase of watching a Disney movie every available night.

Like I told him on Sunday, that’s only a small example of the sacrifices he makes for me daily.

I learned on Father’s Day that, in some ways, it’s the least celebrated holiday of the year. But I’d like to think our grilling burgers outside of the garage and exterminating snakes together makes up for the lack of celebration elsewhere. I’d like to think our years of knowing exactly how each other takes our coffee makes up for it, too.

Or how he’s the one who taught me how to enjoy it from the start. How he likes the outdoors just as much as I do. How, when I was 12 and started writing books, he encouraged me. How, when I was 14, we trekked through the woods together. How, when I was 15, he taught me how to drive. And how, when I was 19, he helped me suffer through summer college classes so I could graduate early.

Father’s Day––it’s the least celebrated for a lot of painful reasons. While I have my father, it’s important to me to keep being outside together. Keep making each other coffee. And keep watching cartoons together.

Thanks for sacrificing everything for me all the time, Dad. I love you.