The Real Goofy

Meet my dad, Peter. If you ever loved the Disney character Goofy, you would really love my father.

Like Goofy, my father is incredibly silly. However, please don't mistake this for lack of intelligence. I think  people mistake silly people to be stupid people, which is hardly ever accurate.

To be truly silly, you must be very sharp-witted and have great intellect. Being silly is like playing chess; you always need to be thinking three or four steps ahead, visualizing where this act or gag will go and assessing how far you can go as well. It's that foresight and strategic thinking that makes that "Goofy" in your life -- and we all have at least one -- hilarious and brilliant at the same time.

Today's photograph of the Borde family's Goofy was taken during a day trip to Laguna Beach to celebrate my Dad's birthday. I stopped to take photographs of the bougainvillea growing on this wall when my father stopped me and said, "Wait. Take this picture instead. Me in the bougainvillea. Now, THAT'S a great shot!" Then he proceeded to make several funny faces as he stood among the blossoms. This one was the most natural of the group.

It was a ridiculous moment, but beautifully sums up one of the many characteristics I love about my Dad. He is a person of great commitment and integrity and has a strong work ethic, but is also someone who has a contagious laugh and knows when to use it.

It's my greatest wish that in the coming years, he'll get to use that silly muscle more often than the responsible grownup one he has needed to use more often. If he doesn't, I'm not sure how the next generation of Bordes ever be able to learn how to be the next family Goofy. It's definitely tradition that must be passed on.