I just returned from a four day athletic training conference in Atlanta, and I can confidently say that I don’t care if I ever visit there again. It’s nothing personal, everybody I met there was quite friendly, there was just too many of them. When you grow up in a town of hundreds a city of millions is a bit much.

The first thing I have to consciously not do when I visit a big city is not stare directly at everyone I meet as if I might know them. Just one of many small town habits, like waving and saying “Hi,” that apparently make those in the big city nervous or irritated. Nervous and irritated is the last emotions I wanted to evoke in some of the not so peachy Georgians I ran across.

The constant noise and flow of people, cars, and cement sucks the life out of you. So I was more than happy to get back to the trees, hills, and grass of South Dakota in time to spend father’s day with my wife and kids.

For those of you expecting fathers or those that plan to be fathers sometime in the future here’s a little heads up. Fathers Day is not a day for you to do whatever you want; it’s a day for you to do whatever your kids think you want to do. This just so happens to bear a striking resemblance to what they want to do.

This if fine with me because soon enough they probably won’t care what I’m doing as long as it doesn’t involve them sparring any of their precious teenage time. I may have made it out of the Eastern Time zone unscathed but I suspect the teenage time zone might leave me a little battered.

I know this because as the oldest I had the opportunity observe this horrendous behavior in my younger siblings. Thankfully my superior level of maturity blossomed early and I never caused my Dad any grief. Except for that one time….no wait that was Jarvis, or maybe…no that was Amanda, oh now I remember…nope that was Gabe.

The three formally mentioned defendants and myself are fortunate to have such a wonderful father. Even though we couldn’t all be there with our Dad on Fathers Day, he’s in our thoughts on this and everyday. When I open my crayon cards on Fathers Day my only wish is that my children love me as much as I love my Dad.

Hope all you Dad’s of Upstate ND had a wonderful Fathers Day. That might make a lovely swim suit calendar, “Dad’s of Upstate ND.”

Dad I know your legs haven’t seen sun since the Nixon administration so you’ve got some work to do. Just get yourself a pair of “Daisy Dukes” to wear when you mow the lawn four times a day and you’ll be bronzed in no time.

Happy Father’s Day “Mr. August.”