When I was in my teens and early twenties, my dad took used to take me out for dinner every few weeks, just the two of us. He did that with all of us kids. I don’t recall anything special or profound about the conversations we had during our “dates.” What I do remember is that we always went for sushi and that we always had a good time. Most of all, it was a treat, getting to spend a couple of hours with my dad, just the two of us.

After he passed away suddenly in 2012, I found myself left with a lot of questions that I knew for the rest of my life would remain unanswered. And I wished I had used those one-on-one times better, to talk about things that really mattered.

Then a while ago, I read this article. And now I realize that the most important things I learned from those times with my dad were the ones that went unspoken. For example, that I could and should expect the men in my life to treat me with kindness and respect. And that spending quality time is one of the best ways to show love.