As a child, you describe yourself in relation to your family. Whether it’s looking like your dad or saying something your mom would say. A significant portion of how we view ourselves becomes similarities, or differences, to the family members around us. When I’ve been asked, I have often expressed that I am kind of like my dad and kind of like my grandpa. Borrowing some interests, characteristics, hobbies, phrases, and habits from both of them. I think I chose to view myself in this regard because these were the two strongest male influences in my life. A part of my identity was how I compared or contrasted to them. One characteristic I know I got from grandpa, was my desire to become an engineer. I don’t ever remember him talking about his work, or what sparked his desire to study structural engineering, which in retrospect is strange, as I credit him with giving me this desire. I think it must have been his character, his projects, his desire to design, to re-design, and continually improve that developed this interest in me.
When I left to go to university, grandpa gave me a gift. He had saved money for all his grandchildren to be given when they left for post-secondary. He did not wrap this gift, or put it in a card, simply just a cheque in an envelope. A post-it note stuck on the envelope read, “Taylor, this is one of the best ‘investments’ of my life. Have a great year. GM/GP”.
While his investment in my university did eventually turn out to be a good one, his real investment was the decades he spent being the example of a man I strive to emulate.
— Taylor
