My father has always been one of my biggest supporters, although his form of support is usually telling me all the things that could go wrong so that I am “prepared”.
I know he isn’t crazy about the idea of me biking on Chicago’s city streets for safety reasons but concedes that it is good that I am getting daily exercise. During last year’s 30 Days of Biking, we planned a nice ride through the suburb I grew up in and I let him dress me in his preferred safety attire. My dad is an expert on bike safety for kids.
Me & my dad going for a bike ride in the 'burbs
My dad helps me with Po Campo too. Before we had our new warehouse, he and my mom did all of our packing and shipping. My dad’s duty was printing shipping labels and keeping records of everything that went in and out. He reminded me the risks of sending things “uninsured” and how I should be handling this or that to protect myself. But it wasn’t all lessons. It was fun for us to share the experience of Po Campo growing, which you see happening when you send bags around the world on a daily basis. He often gave me updates of how our shipments were doing: “You know the order that is going to Montana? It just passed through Minneapolis! I’m surprised they went that way!” and so on.
Last night I visited him for Father’s Day and he lovingly called me his entrepreneurial daughter and said that he was proud of me. My heart swelled with gratitude and pride and love. Happy Father’s Day dad and thanks for making me feel like I do anything — as long as I am careful!
