15 for 15 is shorthand for -- 15 people that I'd like to interview for 15 minutes. Will I ever get to interview Peggy Noonan? Though the odds are higher than they were given that I've said out loud, and in a public forum, that I'd like to interview her, it is highly unlikely. Nor is it necessary to our 'daring to dream'.
In late August, lovely Barbara Torris responded to my question -- "Who are your heros? Imagine her surprise when, last week, Russell Kirsch, the man who invented the square pixel in cameras, and taught computers how to "see" -- a man who is one of her heros -- called Barbara to thank her for the comments she'd made on her blog. There was something quite wonderful about their interchange. When Barbara wrote about Russell Kirsch, wasn't she giving a gift of her self? When Russell Kirsch responded to Barbara Torris, wasn't he receiving her gift? Gift given, gift received. Yes, yes -- but if feels like there's something more....
Writing about my heros (which you can find at the bottom of this post) was indeed revelatory. Here's why: 1) I was surprised by how much my heros have changed over time -- from Bewitched's Samantha to Peggy Noonan? 2) It was also interesting to observe that my childhood heros were imaginary. A reminder just how much children identify with the imaginary, magical world. I clearly watched television as a child, and most would consider me a functioning contributing member of society. Who were your heros as a child? Who are they today? How have they changed? 2) My heros have played a greater role in who I've become than I would have predicted prior to this exercise. Example A: The fact that I so admired Samantha and Shirley Partridge as a young girl makes it a lot less surprising that I care about mothering well, my many years of "not wanting to have kids yet" notwithstanding.