What makes heroes/heroines?

My father-in-law is nearing 93 and is the best-read person I know!  He sends us articles every week.  His latest offerings ranged from commentary on web-based dating services to a Rheta Grimsley Johnson article on a trip to New Orleans.  Ms. Grimsley Johnson is one of his favorite writers, and this article focused on her visit to a museum featuring Mississippi (her proud home) artists.  Among the displays was a photograph of one of her heroines, Blanche Aldrich.  Now, I’ve visited Miss Blanche several times as she is the legendary matriarch of the tiny Mississippi town of Michigan City where my wife’s family attended church back in the 50’s and early 60’s.  Blanche is instantly entertaining with her incredible energy, humor, and remarkable experiences (I include links to a photo of Blanche, the article I reference, and another article by RGJ with further Blanche details).  I can say with sincerity she is one of the very few people I’ve met who seemed larger than life, or maybe just filled the space they occupied so completely.  I’m a talker/story teller, but I found myself quiet more than usual.  In short, she is a treat.

As I read the article to my wife over breakfast this morning, I wondered what makes someone a hero/heroine.  Rheta Grimsley Johnson would not use such a term loosely.  I admit Blanche is one of my heroines.  She inspired us to teach overseas for the Army, a job that gave our 30+year teaching careers even more meaning.  I know with Blanche I saw opportunities for us I had never really considered. 

Maybe when we see acts of great courage like firefighters risking their lives to save someone, soldiers in daily life and death situations, or bystanders lifting a burning car to save a stranger, we see the best of ourselves, the chance we all have to step beyond more mundane, daily challenges.  Blanche probably has never saved a life, but I wonder how many people she has inspired to live more meaningful lives.  Maybe heroes/heroines are just people who show us what is possible. 

http://picayuneitem.com/opinion/x803554747/In-NO-serving-life-up-on-the-half-shell/print

http://nems360.com/view/full_story/5570952/article-OPINION--Zest-for-life-flows-strong-for-former-Mississippian--age-102

http://www.brucewestphotography.com/imgs/gallery/9615/9615_5251801324ab51f2bead62.jpg

Another “Quote” …not in Roget!

While this entry is not exactly a quote in the classic sense of some sentence we can draw meaning from, it is another unlikely source for a beautiful opportunity that we all face probably much more often than we realize (like maybe everyday).  It’s the song Scrooge sings---yes, it’s from the musical version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens---when he faces the new day after visits from the three ghosts.  I love its hopefulness and empowerment. 

A Better Life

Do my eyes deceive me

Can my reason lie

Am I living here and now

Or in some life gone by

Is this world I'm seeing

The world I saw before

Could there be a better life

That might have taught me more

Am I merely dreaming

Or am I awake

Is my mind just playing games

Or showing me a pathway I should take

Do I just ignore it

Do I break the spell

Or do I take another look

Open up a brand new book

Try to find a better life

A bigger, brighter, better life

And could I somehow learn to live it well

Only time will tell

Can I find a better life

And learn to live it well

Scrooge has to reevaluate the decisions he has made that produced what he defined as success---wealth and power.  Now, he has to determine whether this “success” is enough.  Living a “better life” is a choice we make.  We all face the “spells” that can distract us, and seeing through them takes real effort.  It sure has for me!!

A Great Quote from a Likely Source!

One of my favorite quotes on the benefits of honesty is by Mark Twain.  Oddly, I haven’t seen this quote used as often as it deserves.  To me it is the quintessential argument for not lying.

"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."

I can so easily see all those webs of deceit I wove trying to use one lie to defend or protect another lie.  Hard to keep all those balls in the air! 

Quotes...not in Roget!

I’d like to write a series on some of my favorite quotes from unexpected sources.  There are literally books dedicated to the great sayings by amazing folks throughout history---these will probably not be found there. 

I will start with one I have loved for many years, but my understanding of its powerful message has increased through the years.  It is from that epic, “The Sound of Music.”

While the premise for the show---finding and fulfilling one’s purpose and/or place in life---is serious and meaningful, this quote deals with a specific challenge Maria has to face, becoming the governess for the Von Trapp children.  Her fear is the subject of a song (of course): “I Have Confidence,” in which she imagines the potential problems and how she will deal with them.  The challenges she describes could fit in lots of new job situations.  The quote I consider most powerful is near the end as she has listed many reasons she should be confident and is more a commentary on being strong in the face of challenges with potential failures implied.  It is about strength.

Strength doesn't lie in numbers

Strength doesn't lie in wealth

Strength lies in nights of peaceful slumbers

When you wake up -- Wake Up!

The older I get the more I realize the truth of strength/success/happiness/health/whatever being embodied in “nights of peaceful slumbers.”  I sure know that for me the quality and quantity of sleep I get is directly proportional to the “strength” of my life at any given time.  We can’t buy good sleep.  More quotes coming.  I’d love to hear yours.

Suggestion 10: Location, location, location!

Most of the earlier suggestions have been about lessons we’ve learned that we didn’t predict.  This one is about a lesson we suspected and turns out were right about.  I realize many folks will not get to choose a new location for their retirement like we did when we left six years in Germany working for the DoD, but there probably is some freedom to decide.  How did we choose?  It’s simple…and complicated.

While we were working for the Army in Germany we met people from quite literally the whole world.  We visited 12 countries and had immediate neighbors from 6 countries (next door, Persian husband, German/Hungarian wife, across the street, family of Turks, around the corner, Russians, and nearby Americans and Germans---one of our favorite close restaurants was an Italian place with a German cook run by a Greek and near that was a Spanish restaurant run by Turks).   Turns out, almost everyone loves their home and/or adopted country---just as much or more than everyone else does (apologies to my logic teacher).  We had so many conversations with Europeans extolling the virtues of their countries suggesting we move there when we retired.  They also had great reasons to avoid the other countries!  Turns out, the same is true for all those Americans we met from all over the U.S.  Every state appears to be the best for a variety of reasons. 

Now, I have always felt the greatest influence comes from folks who have a real passion for something.  I think most of my past students would suggest I was maybe even too passionate about some of the mathematics I taught.  Passion gets listened to…passion entertains…passion teaches…passion sells.  The point is we had a lot of passionate people telling us about why their location was best, and we listened.  We dreamed, we studied, we talked a lot, but we discovered, somewhat to our surprise, that Tennessee truly is home to us. 

Tennessee isn’t better than someone else’s home, but it’s the place we measure other places by.  Now, understand we love traveling maybe even staying months on a visit, but I suspect we will return here each time.   It’s a hard thing to describe or even understand.  For example, we hate that several times every year the weather in Tennessee makes serious attempts to kill us---tornados and floods in spring, oppressive heat and humidity in summer, ice storms in winter (fall is a pretty safe time to visit, by the way)---but we would never want to live in a place without four distinct seasons.  But lots of places have that.  We both graduated from Memphis State University (University of Memphis now); I did twice and sold cokes at the ball games as a kid.  We do have a special feeling for our alma mater and are not just fans for geographical reasons.  But following a team is easy now on tv and/or internet.  Tennesseans are universally polite folks and sincere interest in others is common here.  But there are nice folks everywhere.  Tennessee has river delta and mountains and every terrain in between.  But most states have diverse geography.  It’s complicated.

Of course, I’ve saved family and friends for last.  The older we get, the more roots have mattered.  We have family in three locations in the state so travel to visit was inevitable.  The easier that travel, the better…and cheaper!  We have great relationships with our families, maybe the best we’ve ever had.  Old friends, friends with a shared history simply cannot be replaced.  I’ve told folks before there are a lot of people I care about, but there are fewer I miss.  I suspect most people are like that.

I guess home is like that soup you like so much.  You aren’t even aware of all the ingredients, but you recognize immediately if they are missing.  Bon appétit!