I have so much to say about this. As I blathered on to a friend, she said, Kim, you need to blog about this, and I hesitated. I didn't think communication with my Idol would count as a blog.
It's not even that big of a thing for jaded people. I don't worship "Hollywood". I do however count writers, and more narrowly, columnists in my list of idols. Our dearly departed Mike Royko was my first. He is one of the reasons that I wanted to write. I only dreamed of sharing my brain as well as he did.
My second Idol is Dick Feagler. A Cleveland columnist. I sat behind him in a church pew for 10 years, and never told him he was my Idol. He was merely someone I said "peace be with you" with, as we shook hands. I never had the chutzpah to tell him how much his words impacted my life.
Today, I'm older. I still idolize, despite my advanced years. I took the bull by the horns today. I am active on a social networking site. I noticed a friend of mine was friends with one of my idols. To comment in the same space as she was almost paralyzing. My respect for her cannot be captured in words. She exceeds my other idols, because she is... a she.
I sent her a note of praise and I also invited her.
She replied and accepted.
It made my day. Truly.
I'm in my 40s but my feeling today is better than the day I touched Bon Jovi. I was touched in a different way. I was touched mentally. My idol said hello and thank you.
It doesn't get any better than that.
Thank you, C.
My biggest idol is my father. Much of the person I am today comes from him and his words and what he taught me both directly and indirectly. Course, you're pretty far up there too ;)
ReplyDeleteHi, Argon! Yes, My father (and grandparents) were my idols. But this is a different sort of idoltry. I respect my parents, but I don't want to *be* them... This columnist... gosh. I don't even know where to start without sounding like a blathering doofus. I just have a level of respect that surpasses DNA. Wow.
ReplyDeleteWell I understand that but my father has always been the kind of man I want to grow up to be...and maybe some day I will. I think I am pretty far off but I see more and more of him in myself every day. And I think I'm a much better person to emulate how he's treated people and life. i liken it to the Song "Leader of the Band" by the late Dan Fogelberg. Youtube it, just listen to the words, even if you have heard it before and know of it. I have that respect too, but he's the one I aspire to.
ReplyDeleteYo, Kim!
ReplyDeleteMy boyhood idols were Mickey Mantle, #7 New York Yankees; Stan 'The Man' Musial, #6 St. Louis Cardinals; and The Beatles.
As an adult, I have become cynical and I no longer have idols ... except for you, princess!
Truman