Hero Worship: A Day in the Life Sunday

Don't strive to be a hero and don't worship them either.

Believing that someone (other than yourself) will make it all better, fix everything and chase your problems away is foolish and disempowering. It is time for all the heroes to go home, as the poet William Stafford wrote. It's time for some intellectual stimulation.

Real people don't have lives that sell magazines. Turn the TV off, put your People magazine down, step away from the internet and go read a book.

Photo Credit: files.nyu.edu500 × 326Search by image Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection.

Photo Credit: files.nyu.edu500 × 326Search by image Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection.

I am not worshiping heroes (yeah!) but I am also not reading like I used to (boo!).

I'll be traveling in June for business and pleasure so I am seizing the opportunity to get more than a few books read. I asked what others were reading and here are some of the book suggestions I received:

  • The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
  • The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
  • The 100-Year-Old-Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
  • The Last Letter from Your Lover by JoJo Moyes
  • The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
  • Picture of Dorian Gray by S.P. Shearon
  • Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
  • Zelda by Nancy Milford
  • Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
  • The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

What ever happened to the book mobile? Remember when the three R's were reading, writing and arithmetic and not reduce, reuse and recycle? Those were the days of my youth, but I digress.

Be particular about who you let into your life. Know that you have a voice and are surrounded by people just like you who want to be useful to others and solve their own problems.

Be strong, yourself.

Mask and cape not required.