The Old Man and the Kid

Introduction

There are a lot of ways to get to know someone.

You can read their résumé, see their business, or hear what they do for work. But the truth is, the things that shape who we are usually come from the people and stories behind us.

So this is something new I want to start sharing here.

From time to time, I’ll be posting poems and stories—little pieces of my life, the people who shaped me, and the lessons that helped build the person behind Kayla Cares.

Because caregiving didn’t just appear in my life one day. It was shaped slowly through the people who raised me, supported me, and taught me what it means to show up for others.

This first one is about my dad.

Just an Old Man and His Kid

His name is Mike.

But around here, he’s known as “the Old Man.”

And to him, I’ll probably always just be Kid.

Some of the most important lessons he ever taught me

weren’t lessons he sat down to explain.

They were the ones he lived

when he thought no one was watching.

He taught me how to care about people.

Not by saying it out loud,

but by showing me that you show up

even when you’re tired,

even when you should probably be resting,

even when the world says you’ve already done enough.

Like the time in Lander, Wyoming,

when he should have been asleep.

He had already dropped the semi off

as close as he could get,

but instead of going to bed

he walked up the road

just to see his kid ride in a rodeo.

Or the times in Glenrock,

when I’d hear a familiar honk

as his truck rolled past the arena—

his quiet way of saying,

I’m here.

That’s the kind of man he is.

He taught me patience.

Though he probably didn’t know he was doing it.

He taught me how to weld,

how to work hard,

how to figure things out even when you’re learning as you go.

A lot of who I am

comes straight from him.

The stubbornness.

The attitude.

The work ethic.

The sense of humor that shows up

right when life gets a little too serious.

And the part of me

that believes if you want something bad enough,

you build it.

He started and helped run three businesses,

and I got to watch it happen—

learning about work, risk, and grit

long before I realized those lessons

would shape my own path.

But life isn’t always simple.

There were years

when we didn’t talk much.

Years where we didn’t really know

how to be a family

after everything that had happened.

Those years hurt in a way

I don’t think either of us knew how to explain.

I was still your little girl.

You were still my dad.

But somewhere in between

we both struggled to figure out

how to say the things we needed to say.

And yet, even through all of that,

one thing never really changed.

You always sat in my corner.

Whether I wanted to be

a barrel racer,

a welder,

a photographer,

a cosmetologist,

a CNA,

or now a business owner…

You showed up.

Maybe not always perfectly.

But always in the ways that mattered.

Looking back now,

I realize something.

The way I care for people today—

the patience,

the willingness to show up,

the belief that people deserve dignity and kindness—

didn’t come from a textbook.

It came from watching you.

From watching a man

who might call himself the Old Man,

but who taught his Kid

that caring for people

is one of the strongest things a person can do.

And if I’ve become someone

who shows up for others

the way I do today…

It’s because I learned from you.

Closing

The Old Man will probably roll his eyes if he reads this.

He’s never been one for big speeches or sentimental things. But the truth is, a lot of who I am came from watching him long before I understood it.

The stubbornness.

The humor.

The work ethic.

The ability to keep showing up for people even when life gets messy.

He might still call me Kid, but a lot of the strength I carry today started with the man who walked up dusty roads to watch me ride, honked as he drove past arenas, and never stopped sitting in my corner—even when life didn’t always make it easy.

So Old Man, if you ever read this…

Just know your Kid was paying attention all along. Happy birthday and I love you❤️

Written by Kayla Mundt

Owner of Kayla Cares LLC

Where personalized care meets the comfort of your home