Isaac Garcia

Appreciation

An adult I appreciate a lot is my dad. Angel Arnoldo Primitivo Garcia is someone who

has impacted my life more than he knows. From the day day he let me watch South Park as a

seven year old to when he told me what it is to be a man. My dad and I don’t talk much but he is

the most impactful person in my life as I think more and more about it. I see him not only as who

he really is but who people sometimes fail to see him as. The best dad I could ask for.

My father grew up here in Merced, California. He is the second oldest of eight siblings.

He protects his siblings no matter what, talking or not, pissed or distant, family is family and you

can’t change that. He got into some fights growing up which I still have yet to do because quite

honestly I don’t think it’s right, which is something he taught me. As he is a protector for his

people he failed to protect one person, and that person is himself. My dad’s inner demons have

chained to him since before I was a thought in any person’s mind. He was on his own by 15. A

high school dropout who had to live with cousins because he was kicked out the house. My

father was at a point where he had to act like an adult before his mind and soul were ready.

Stunted at that moment in his life he was at a constant stalemate with himself. But life did not

care.

At the age of 22 he had two children, a wife and needed a plan. He found work in being

an electrician, working with fiber optics(I still don’t get what he does). This job let us get by until

he hit a too good to be true job at Equinox. Pulling in enough so his family is safe, full, and then

some. But, as I said it was too good to be true. After doing the math one day I figured out my

father had missed a total of three years of my life in his six years working there. Sports events,

holidays, nights I just needed him he was not there. I’m not mad at him and I never will be. He

was doing what he believed was best for his family with the block he’s had since he was a kid. I
was just too young to see this but now I see why my brother and him can’t talk for long without

being irritated or hurt. You had a 15 year old kid who had to answer to a man who had the same

mindset. My father acted like an adult with us but my mom raised us more. Realizing this has

made me look at things from a universal view. How what I do will affect others.

With realization of this and many other things, my father’s choices that were decided with

the tunnel vision prescribed by his demons were his best to offer. Being older i've seen more of

him. I saw my dad almost fight. I saw him lie, I saw him break to his lowest point ever. But now

i'm seeing what seems like only my mom has seen for the past years. And that's an opportunity

for him to change. My dad is the strongest man I know and that's because he has forced himself

into it since he was 15. My father has made more mistakes than I even know about but he’s now

seeing opportunity as we are. If a 41 year old man can do it why can’t I you know?

My father is who I appreciate most. He has fallen and been down for so long which has

taught me what not to do. Yet, now he is starting to look up and see light and hope. For all my

dad has done I will never be mad at him. I was never mad at him because he is doing his best. I

couldn’t ask for anything more of him. I couldn't ask for a better dad.