Lessons From My Father...

Below are a list of lessons and things that I learned from my father over the years... most of which he probably never meant to teach me...

Dance whenever the opportunity arises - even if you look like a fool - because it's fun. Especially when "Love Shack" is playing.

There's nothing wrong with making up ridiculous songs using ridiculous noises.

Cheese will bind you up.

You are never too old to own & wear a pair of one-piece fleece pajamas.

Find & marry someone who is strong, loving, and will take good care of you when you're at your weakest.

Always be nice to the police officer who is proctoring your driver's test.

In fact... be nice and joke with any person who is serving you. It could make their day.

Confucious say: Man who go to bed with itchy bum wake up with smelly finger. (This actually has a serious connotation... think about it...)

Don't do drugs (under threat of butt-kicking...).

There's no place like Nana's house.

Be candid with your doctor about your family medical history and ask if there are tests to find out if you are at risk for anything in said history.

Everyone needs a nickname - usually a one-syllable male name like "Fred" or "Ralph".

Burger King is superior to McDonald's, and you'll never find a better steak & cheese than at Steffy's.

Bacon and peanut butter are two of the best food products ever to exist.

Always keep a positive attitude, no matter how crappy things get. It makes a difference to the people around you.

People will remember the ridiculous things you did in the name of humor and recount them with a chuckle later, no matter how out of left field it seemed at the time. Like driving through a cemetery while honking the horn to "wake the dead".

Never lie about how you're doing when someone asks.

Make sure to brag and praise about the people who you are most proud of.

Always - ALWAYS - be yourself.

And probably most importantly... never EVER part ways or hang up the phone with someone without stressing that you love them. No matter how fantastically good or badly strained the relationship with that person is, it's important that they hear it.

In memory of Daniel K. Cochrane

Jan. 29, 1957 - June 30, 2012