As a child, my father was a professional tree climber. He worked for Asplund. He drove the bucket trucks and had the ropes, carabiners, saws, and harnesses. One day he even brought the bucket truck home and took me up in it. I swear we were so high I could have reached and smacked a cloud. While we were up there, I remember looking up at my Dad and thinking how brave, tough, and hard-working he was. At that moment, I knew I wanted to be just like him one day.

On top of working long hours cutting down trees, he also built a barn in our backyard. It got me wondering how he could work so hard at work and then come home and continue to work so hard. I didn’t get it. He must be a superhero. He is my superhero. I even asked him, “Dad, how do you work so hard all the time?” He smiled at me, and I swear to God he said, “ Son, we’re Farmers. We do Far More for your money, honey.” That phrase was instantly engraved into my DNA, and it became a motto I would soon live by.