@MindBranches You realize this article was written by AI, no? There is nothing novel here, and the traction this AI slop is getting is more concerning than the content of the article.
@mcconn_chris@xan_desanctis@mollyfleck Interesting statistic. What percentage of Mass-going Catholic would you say are pro-life for humans outside of the womb?
@cyndieishere@FPWellman I lost my wife and the mother to my two young boys three years ago. It doesn’t get easier, does it? Sending love for peace and healing, Cyndie.
Every Sunday I read the obituaries in the local paper.
Weird? Maybe... But I like to learn about dads' lives & legacies and the love they accumulate over time
These are the 7 most common traits I see for fathers with well-lived lives:
1/ A sincere dedication to family:
Most obituaries are nice, "he leaves behind a wife, kids, grandkids, etc..."
The BEST write about specifics that will be remembered forever by the next generation:
"He taught his grandkids to fish, play chess & shared his love of Jimi Hendrix."...
2/ A dedication to physical activity:
I love reading about random sports accomplishments in obituaries... "Club racquetball champion in Albany, NY '94." "Won state title in shot put in 1969" "Set 5k record for the 75+ age group."
Stay active. Stay interesting. Stay healthy.
3/ A dedication to reinvention:
The longest obituaries are that way for a reason. The person accomplished a lot, and it's rarely doing the same thing.
The pattern is every 10-15 years they changed gears.
Military. Salesman. Entrepreneur. Bought land. Taught. Opened a store...
4/ A dedication to generosity:
When reading an obituary, the short ones stick to the basics: family, a line about a career, a passion or two...
The long ones talk about how the person tried to make the world a better place: Volunteering. Mentoring. Donating time & money...
5/ A dedication to lifelong learning:
The meatiest obituaries always mention things like: "He was never without a book... He loved reading... He was proud of his personal library..." OR "He learned piano at 60... He learned how to sculpt... He restored cars in retirement...
6/ A dedication to work...
One common trait of the longest-lived obituaries is that the people rarely retired... They may have pulled back from a job or a company... But they still worked.
They created. They wrote. They taught classes. They mentored... They stayed involved.
7/ A dedication to humor...
I love this one. This is the icing on the cake. Of course you can be an incredible, dedicated, loving dad and not be funny...
However, when people remember that you made them laugh... And family members write things like, "nobody made the grandkids laugh harder"... or "he was always ready with a hilarious story" that's the good stuff...
8/ I know there are other traits that people look to... But I wanted to share the ones that stood out to me over time.
If you enjoyed this, please share and follow me @Jon_Finkel.
Most of my stories and books are about fascinating people, fitness, sports, movies and more...
And PS:
“DID WE JUST SEE WHAT WE THINK WE JUST SAW?!”
Kevin Harlan nearly FELL OUT OF HIS CHAIR. Dan Bonner and @realStanVG were STUNNED.
The crew’s reaction to Furman’s dramatic win over Virginia was incredible.