Florida Man Puts Positive Twist on "Florida Man" Story
Upon the birth of his only child, a Florida man spends 18 years quietly compiling life lessons for her - and surprises her with a book of those lessons at her high school graduation.
Jacksonville, FL, August 18, 2020 --(PR.com)-- Most news stories beginning with the phrase “Florida Man” do not begin or end well. This one does both. Upon the birth of his only child, Alexandra, in 2002, Robert Peek – a Florida man living in St. Augustine – began writing snippets of advice for his newborn daughter, saving them on a computer floppy disk. His goal, he said, was to present the information to Alexandra when she was older.
A few years later, Peek moved the information online to a Wordpress blog, regularly writing longer and more detailed posts, all with his daughter in mind, though she was too young to read. Each post was inspired by fatherhood and focused on a single life lesson or personal value Peek thought important for Alexandra to know one day, covering topics such as honesty, kindness and perseverance.
Over the years, friends and colleagues began following the blog, with the posts eventually picked up by the Chicago Sun Times – and then blog visitors from all over the world began following and commenting positively about the little essays.
“My posts really were future love letters to my daughter, couched as fatherly advice,” said Peek, 54, a marketing director who works in neighboring Jacksonville. “I wrote to share with her simple but important ideas about life, and those messages started resonating with people of all ages and backgrounds.”
Alexandra, however, had no idea her father was writing anything, as Peek waited to tell her about his writing until the day she graduated from high school in 2020 - a full 18 years after he started saving tidbits on a floppy disk. Quietly, Peek had bundled the best of his blog posts into a new book entitled Inside Peek: A loving father shares his wisdom. Peek dedicated the book to his daughter and presented it to her as a surprise graduation gift.
Alexandra, 18, said she appreciates her father’s desire to help her navigate life’s sometimes confusing journey.
“The book’s messages are simple but they provide long-lasting life lessons,” Alexandra said. Each chapter, in addition to the writing itself, is introduced by an insightful quotation attributed to such notables as Socrates, Virgil, Anne Frank – and even Yoda from Star Wars.
In the fall, Alexandra will enroll as a freshman in the Honors Program at Florida International University in Miami, studying Global and Social Sciences with a focus on Pre-Law.
Peek said that after presenting Alexandra with the first copy of the book, he decided to share it more broadly. Now, Inside Peek is available at Amazon.com and robertpeek.com. Peek said that just like his blog, people are finding the book and sharing positive comments.
This time, “Florida man” got it right.
A few years later, Peek moved the information online to a Wordpress blog, regularly writing longer and more detailed posts, all with his daughter in mind, though she was too young to read. Each post was inspired by fatherhood and focused on a single life lesson or personal value Peek thought important for Alexandra to know one day, covering topics such as honesty, kindness and perseverance.
Over the years, friends and colleagues began following the blog, with the posts eventually picked up by the Chicago Sun Times – and then blog visitors from all over the world began following and commenting positively about the little essays.
“My posts really were future love letters to my daughter, couched as fatherly advice,” said Peek, 54, a marketing director who works in neighboring Jacksonville. “I wrote to share with her simple but important ideas about life, and those messages started resonating with people of all ages and backgrounds.”
Alexandra, however, had no idea her father was writing anything, as Peek waited to tell her about his writing until the day she graduated from high school in 2020 - a full 18 years after he started saving tidbits on a floppy disk. Quietly, Peek had bundled the best of his blog posts into a new book entitled Inside Peek: A loving father shares his wisdom. Peek dedicated the book to his daughter and presented it to her as a surprise graduation gift.
Alexandra, 18, said she appreciates her father’s desire to help her navigate life’s sometimes confusing journey.
“The book’s messages are simple but they provide long-lasting life lessons,” Alexandra said. Each chapter, in addition to the writing itself, is introduced by an insightful quotation attributed to such notables as Socrates, Virgil, Anne Frank – and even Yoda from Star Wars.
In the fall, Alexandra will enroll as a freshman in the Honors Program at Florida International University in Miami, studying Global and Social Sciences with a focus on Pre-Law.
Peek said that after presenting Alexandra with the first copy of the book, he decided to share it more broadly. Now, Inside Peek is available at Amazon.com and robertpeek.com. Peek said that just like his blog, people are finding the book and sharing positive comments.
This time, “Florida man” got it right.
Contact
Robert Peek
904-445-0882
www.robertpeek.com
904-445-0882
www.robertpeek.com
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