Last week my phone was shuffling through songs when I heard the dulcet tones of Louis Armstrong. I immediately remembered my father on road trips popping in a cassette tape of Louis. It made the miles fly by. My father, now long gone, still comes to mind with regularity, and when I think of him, I think of these nuggets of wisdom he passed onto me and how I, more often than not, had to learn things the hard way.

Walk in like you own the room. Don’t slump, slink or shuffle just because you feel shy. Walk with confidence until you find your way.

Music makes everything better. He never said that in words, but he indeed expressed it by his actions. He played music, sang, danced, and always had an album playing somewhere throughout the day.

Get outside. Most parents use that to push you out the door. My dad considered it the best way to get us to explore. He encouraged camping, biking, hiking, hunting arrowheads.

Love unconditionally. Dad never stopped telling us how much he loved us in his actions and words. He had decided to have kids late in life and considered his sons a gift from God.