om mind
rider. Apart from a little tipple of whiskey (nothing fancy), trifle
(but not the posh one because it’s got too much fruit in it) and
the occasional new dressing gown, I’ve never known him actually
ask for anything. If there’s anyone who deserves to spend his days
sitting in a dressing gown, eating trifle and washing it down with a
bit of Whyte and McKay it’s my 87-year-old dad.
3 He is my dispeller of darkness
Feeling sad? Ask my dad to stand behind an open door and
pretend that ‘his brother’ is with him. It used to make me helpless
with giggles when I was little enough to stand on his feet so we
could dance in the kitchen. Whilst I still occasionally stand on his
feet when we dance together (sorry dad) I am never happier than
being twirled around as he makes me look like I know what I’m
doing. And the whole ‘brother’ thing? Still hil-frickin-arious.
4 He has profound knowledge,
which he graciously shares
Dad was a rector for many years and he used to come into the
local village school and teach us religious education. Apart from the
eternal confusion as to whether I should call him ‘dad’ or ‘rector’ in
class, one of my enduring memories is a session he taught us on
drawing perspective which involved sketching a line of lampposts,
just because it was a skill he thought we should have. Add to that
the fact that his church fetes and harvest festivals are still talked of
decades later; he could knock up a toy theatre out of nothing more
than a Weetabix box and newspaper; and he was a demon on the
hockey pitch, and you’ve got yourself a bit of a legend.
5 He is a source of wisdom and strength
to many more than just me
Okay, I know I’m biased, but I believe that it is impossible not to
love my dad once you’ve met him. Any Facebook status update
that mentions him gets far more response from people than
anything I ever write. The first question of almost any old friend I
meet is always ‘How’s your dad?’ before they embark on a story
that begins with ‘I remember when he...’ and usually ends with a)
him doing something kind; b) him doing something silly or c) him
doing something remarkable.
So on this International Yoga Day, this little yogini could not
be happier than to be spending it with the man who gave her
deep enough roots to never feel unsafe, the freedom to grow in
whichever direction she chose, and the nurturing to feel loved
unconditionally. My dad – my guru.
Meg Jackson is the founder of Real Life Yoga, a movement to help
real people bring a little, or a lot, of yoga into their real lives. Find
out more at: reallifeyoga.net