I suppose Father’s day is always a bit of an inflection point and a moment to reflect on all the great things about being a dad has to offer, and this year was no exception.  I couldn’t be happier in where I am in my life especially with Zach and Sam, our adventures and the cool life we’ve been able to create.

In fact Zach asked to spend the afternoon with me before the three of us had planned to go for dinner at a cool little restaurant (surprisingly not exclusively Italian) for Fathers day dinner.

He had suggested that we spend the afternoon at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).  We’ve both always loved art, although my love of the impressionists is a far cry from his devotion to the more traditional old masters like Rembrandt and Van Dyck whose works date from the 17th century.  Yep, another touchpoint to his love of history!

We strolled and talked for quite sometime admiring the magnificent works of art before retiring to the upstairs café to continue our conversation over kettle chips and cool drinks.  The AGO has so much to offer and is chock full of fabulous works of art – from the most famous artists in history to the modern and more contemporary it has something for everyone!  Wow, now i sound like an ad for them 🙂

Soon after sitting down he looked at me and asked an interesting question which took me a little by surprise. What does Father’s Day mean to you dad?  Wow, such a big open ended question that needed a moment to contemplate and gather myself before answering.

Until you’re put on the spot, Fathers Day like many other days of celebration are just a fun way to recognize everything that your dad has done for you.  Okay, so that’s the high level and somewhat clichéd version of the meaning, but he pressed me…

He was genuinely interested in about how I felt about Fathers Day and its importance or perhaps non-importance to me personally.

I sat back and reflected briefly before explaining that the day actually held great significance for me personally.

As I told him – being a dad has been my greatest joy and without doubt my greatest accomplishment!  Seeing my myself as a role model and helping shape and nurture his and Sam’s values, while encouraging their curiosity to see the broader world has meant more to me that all the money you can imagine.  Nope, that’s not just words its truly how I feel

I also know that I’m exceptionally blessed to have such incredibly smart, mature, and confident kids. Zach’s question had initially caught me off guard, but turned into a great conversation…aren’t they the best?

After the AGO we picked up Sam for our dinner out.

We had found an awesome restaurant on Queen Street West at Ossington and actually not too far from where I held my book launch at the Drake Hotel.

The “Good Son”, aptly named for Fathers day don’t you think was a veritable bonanza of taste – not only from a food perspective but this fabulous restaurant had an incredible vibe, from the pressed tin walls and ceiling to the entrance through an old fashioned kitchen it was truly stunning.  As you can imagine Sam loved the design and architecture and was enthralled with the eclectic interior.

However, more importantly to the inner foodie in us all was the scrumptious meal that we enjoyed together.  After starting with the Cheese platter and wood fired over bread we dove into our entrees.  Sam had the Arugula and Pear salad, while Zach the traditional prosciutto pizza (perhaps a burgeoning love of Italy in the offing…definitely the food at least) and for me it was the braised Halibut over local organic vegetables.

All this was topped off with dessert…of course!

It really was the perfect way to end the day and one which I will remember for sometime to come.

And there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t wish I had more opportunities to spend time with my dad and tell my dad what he meant to me…

I know you’ve heard me say this before but I feel extremely lucky to be where I am in my life, and although the seeds of my new life were sown in the despair and sorrow of my dad’s illness and ultimate passing that experience has given me a new and more fulfilling life.

Not everyone is listening when an epiphany comes calling, but for some reason I was able to step back and see my life for what it was at the time but more importantly take action to change it.  Yep, its one thing to realize it and its totally another to actually go do something about it.

All this has culminated in me becoming the father I always wanted to be to my kids, ever present, reliable & dependable, combined with a curious and adventurous spirit that sees the world as my oyster and able to share my love of travel with them first hand.

A pretty sweet situation if you ask me and seems like everyone’s a winner  🙂

Until next week – ciao!