Posts Tagged ‘character’

Yikes! Just caught a glimpse of my reflection in the bathroom mirror. This would not be a good day to ask “Who’s the fairest of them all?” The mirror would roar with laughter … then I’d throw something at it and wind up with seven years’ bad luck.

Beauty has never been one of my preoccupations, but it sparked an interesting discussion a couple of nights ago when my mother and I drifted into conversation about my friend, Marvene. Several years ago, Marvene married a family friend I’d known since junior high—one of my brother’s college roommates. Time passed, we became close, and one day I realized: My goodness, that girl is beautiful! Now, if Marvene’s having a bad day and doesn’t want to ask the mirror who’s fairest of them all, she knows she can call me for positive reinforcement.

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Twenty-four/seven media and the desperate need to fill airtime have spawned a new type of celebrity: people who are famous just for being famous. These pseudo-stars don’t have any discernible talent other than the ability to get attention, usually for being obnoxious. They never seem to think beyond how much play they can get for the next sound bite—which was evident when the Today show’s Al Roker asked one hot “reality” couple if they were proud of the embarrassing behavior that brought them notoriety. They didn’t seem to understand the question.

Despite evidence to the contrary, though, it is possible to touch lives in a positive way, to be remembered for something other than acting like a jerk. Ernie Harris was a perfect example.

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