Fathers know best: Remembering advice from our dads

Why do melons have weddings? They cantaloupe.

Where did the pumpkins have their meetings? In the gourdroom.

What do you call a dog who meditates? Aware wolf.

Yes, dads are great for jokes—but their hard-earned experience can be great for life-guiding advice, too. Doesn’t always seem like it at the time, but for many of us at The Martin Group, our fathers have dealt out instructional wisdom that once soundtracked our upbringing, supported our various personal and professional decisions, and in many cases, sent us on the career trajectories that carries us to our current jobs.

Years later, their words elicit a mix of appreciation and laughter—but we certainly remember them. In honor of this month’s Father’s Day, we’re recalling some of our fathers’ best lines of guidance and reflecting on how their words continue to influence our lives. Here are a few of our team’s best recollections.    

Chris Colton, Director of Public Relations

My dad wasn’t the advice type. But as a Latin teacher, he’d occasionally lob an antiquated inspirational phrase our way. “Carpe diem, boys! Seize the day!” The one that will always stick with me is “Dum spiro spero,” which translates to “While I breathe, I hope.” There’s always the possibility of hope. That’s something I try to remember—and help others remember—every single day. 

Kelli Putney, Vice President

My dad was a pretty quiet guy, but one of the best pieces of advice he ever gave me was, “You can do anything you put your mind to.” His English teacher mother wouldn’t have liked him ending that sentence with a preposition, but that mantra has stayed with me throughout personal and professional challenges, as it inspired me to relentlessly pursue whatever needed to be done. I am grateful that he planted that seed to say that I could do—and be—anything. Thank you, Dad!

Jeanie Guity, Senior Art Director

My father is a retired Methodist minister. In my youth, he would often lead “children’s time” during service, where all the littles in the congregation assemble at the front of the church for a little lesson. The one that still sticks with me today is when he used a large jar and poured some golf balls in it to the rim then asked the kids if the jar was full. They all said “yes!” He then proceeded to pour marbles into the jar which poured down into the spaces between golf balls. “Is it full?” “Yes!” Then he poured sand into the jar which filled all the spaces between the marbles. “Now is it full?” “Yes!”

The lesson: if you take care of the big things in your life, the small things will fall into place.

Nicole Tyrpak, Digital Media Manager

When I was in grad school, I pulled out of a parking spot and took out the taillight of the Mercedes in front of me. I panicked and called my dad, who told me, “Don’t cry, leave your insurance and contact information—and next time, hit a Ford.”

Ryan Boyle, Digital Development Supervisor

When I was around 12 years old, my dad explained to me the importance of closing the toilet lid before you flushed. For hygiene reasons. (He must have just seen a documentary or an article on it at the time because this was suddenly important to him.) It’s been over 20 years and I’ve adamantly followed this rule. I’ve even passed this on to my own son.

The best part is that my dad has no recollection of telling me this and in no way follows his own advice on the matter. 

Jennifer Hunold, Director of Growth and Business Development

Last fall, when working on a project with my dad where I was worried about making a mistake, he told me, “Don’t worry about mistakes. It can always be fixed.” Simple—and most of the time, true. The impact of these words on me was to remember that most answers are simple. Case in point: another thing he said to me a year or so ago concerned not trying to solve something and, instead, to just look at the problem. “Don’t overthink it—the problem will fix itself. Ask yourself if you’re on the right track, and the answer will come to you.”

As his overthinking kid, seeing that he does things differently gives me the courage to be a bit more like him. Now, rather than swirling around on a problem, I give it space and, out of nowhere, the answer usually unveils itself.

Marley Gleason, Digital Marketing Manager

My dad gave me the best piece of advice when I was going to college, and I still live by it to this day. I used to get really unsure of myself and overwhelmed by what I “should” be doing or doing the right thing. He said, “If you don’t know about a life decision or you’re feeling unsure with what you’re doing, it’s okay to stop and take a beat for as long as you need. Eventually, the right way to go will always present itself in an obvious way, and make the hard decisions easy.” 

Sarah Warner, Senior Account Manager

My dad’s advice starts and ends with the Buffalo Bills and Bills games. Here they are in no particular order, and with plenty that are missing:

• “Some call it the away side of the field; we call it the sunny side.”
• “You will never regret wearing long johns to a winter game.”
• “Always avoid the main lots. The only way to go is over the river and through the woods to the stadium—even when you’re eight months pregnant.”
• “WGR 550 radio broadcast is the only acceptable way to listen to the game.”
• “It’s a Wegmans sub or nothing. We don’t buy food at the stadium.”  

Happy Father’s Day—and thanks for all the advice, dads.

If you want to learn more about our team and what we’re up to inside (and outside) The Martin Group, click here.