original photo by Christine Vaufrey
“Is there any meat or cheese in your luggage going to the United States?” said the customs agent.
My heart palpitated. I looked over to my wife Erica, our eyes locked in a silent conversation.
In our checked luggage, locked away in a vacuum sealed bag, sat twelve of the best Irish sausage links one can purchase from a small Dublin butcher. There was no way we were letting this customs agent claim them for himself. We only had to outsmart, outwit, and tell one tiny fib to get them across the border and…
“Yes, yes there is,” my mouth blurted out.
Wrong answer. I could feel Erica’s glare searing a hole through my head.
“Oh, well we need to take a look,” said the agent.
Maybe it’s an illness. Maybe I have strong moral fibers. Maybe I watched Pinocchio on repeat one too many times as a child. But I cannot tell a lie. At times it has cost me a breakfast of twelve delicious links of buttery goodness, and I regret those moments. But for the most part, telling the truth is pretty cool.
What is Breaking Dad?
I’m on the verge of fatherhood. As I write this on a beautiful foggy Thursday morning, my wife has not gone into labor yet. Which means I will become a dad some time in the next 12 hours to 3 weeks. A tight window.
My goal is to collect as many life lessons (from my 25 years of experience) as I can before Taco (our baby’s nickname) arrives. I intend to whip them out later when he/she least expects it (that’s right, I will be a ninja dad).
Granted, I want to continue this series even after Taco is born. But don’t worry, this isn’t a parenting series. My aim is to share with you quick life lessons we can all use a refresher course on and apply them to our lives. So without further ado…
Honest Truth
Here’s your short and sweet life lesson: always tell the truth.
I think it’s safe to assume that if you are reading this you do not live a life which requires lying and deception (queue House of Cards theme song). However, even in casual conversation among friends and family, we tell some big lies.
Friend: “How are you? How are things?”
You: “Things are great!”
Does this exchange sound familiar? It does to me. I know I admitted earlier I cannot tell a lie, but unlike George Washington, I am guilty of this one all the time. You see, we like to appear put together as if everything in our life is going according to plan. We mask our struggles behind a smile and a quick, “Things are great!”
Instead of dancing around superficial small talk, have some courage to tell the truth about your life. I’m not asking you to be a Debbie Downer. I’m asking you (and one day my kids) to never be afraid of opening up to others. Who knows, you might find other people who face the same challenges as you.
“The truth.” Dumbledore sighed. “It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Your turn. What’s your go to reaction when someone asks how you are doing? What struggles do you wish to share? Let me know in the comments below!
The post Breaking Dad: Telling the Truth by Declan Wilson appeared first on A Millennial Type.