The Y (Chromosome) Files: A body for the burbs. A mind for the asylum.
By Marc Kaye
06/07/13
Do Yourself a Favor
This Father's Day and I'd like to take time out to honor my dad. In an age when we can easily get consumed with things moving at a pace that is beyond hyper-speed, it is a perfect time to take a step back and reflect.
My father is not the pipe-smoking, V-neck sweater-wearing Ward Beaver type to wrap up a day’s drama with nice, tidy lessons and pieces of advice. He's more the no B-S, tell-it-like-it-is type who respectfully lays it out in practical terms.
The way he does this is magical, too. I know exactly when it's coming because he prefaces his remarks with "Marc, do yourself a favor."
You can read this anyway you want. "Marc, don’t be an idiot." 'Marc, let's be realistic." "Marc, think this through for a minute." The message is the same - think the things through that need to and don't overthink everything else.
Some of my favorites:
"Do yourself a favor, forget the extended warranty. By the time you’d use it, you could by a new one for less than the warranty will cost you.”
"Do yourself a favor, it’s insurance - don't mess around with coverage."
"Do yourself a favor, stop reading so many advice books and trust your gut."
"Do yourself a favor, don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Focus on your family and you’ll be fine."
"Do yourself a favor, get a decent set of tools." (Note: when he could no longer take my mish mosh of screwdrivers, hammers and nails thrown together, he got me one of those handy all-in-one sets. He couldn't take it anymore.)
"Do yourself a favor, don't listen to what everyone else is saying."
And now, as a special gift for all those dads out there, some of my own personal words of wisdom, perhaps not as poignant but I haven’t had as much time yet to fully develop these. Here they are:
"Do yourself a favor, don't eat an orange after your brush your teeth. It tastes nasty."
"Do yourself a favor, stick with the swimming trunks and lay off the mankini."
"Do yourself a favor and go with the $400 grill instead of the $1200 grill. No one but you will know the difference."
"Do yourself a favor, allow your lawn not to be perfect. It'll be ok and it won't mean you're any less of a man."
"Do yourself a favor, leave the manscaping for the 19 year olds."
For all those dads out there - may you have a fantastic Father's Day and for all those kids and families supporting them - do yourself a favor, and take it easy on the guy for one day, will ya?
Happy Father’s Day!
Marc Kaye is a writer, comedian, songwriter and marketer who would gladly trade in writing about every single thought that arises in his head for some serious athletic skills. You can find out more about Marc at www.marc-kaye.com and follow him on Twitter @MarcKaye1.
