A blogger mentioned legends recently, and the word has been buzzing around in my head. Buzzing comes easily when isolating with yourself.
Legends are those stories, real and imaginary, we have heard since childhood about people, activities, events. Who knows whether most of them are true, but the images stay with us throughout our lifetime.
Little Red Riding Hood: was there really a young girl skipping through the forest carrying a basket of goodies to her grandmother’s house and encountering a bad person? The fable turned the person into a wolf to warn children about the dangers they may face?
How about Robin Hood? Was he a living, breathing man who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor, or was he someone’s creative wish?
Then there are Santa Claus, and Johnny Appleseed, and David and Goliad. Some truth about each one, no truth, or well told stories, believed to be true and passed from generation to generation?
I’ve heard the phrase ‘a legend in her own time’, often describing someone well-known, but I have encountered legends that perhaps not many people knew.
They were people who offered insights I might never have seen or learned. They became legends to me, not because they were famous, but because they changed my life in minor but meaningful ways.
As I think about the legends I have known it’s apparent the list is endless and includes many who will go unnamed and unknown by the masses. But I have collected them.
Margaret Harper was one of the founders of the musical TEXAS that is performed every summer in Palo Duro Canyon. She was not only a great promoter, but was filled with endless creativity and challenged me to think outside my comfortable box.
Then Dean Jones explained not all growth is good to a kid who believed everything should be bigger.
And Elisha Demerson who helped me see the ugliness of racism without rancor or bitterness but with inspiration and reality.
Each one has added to my life. They have confirmed a belief or added doubt to it. They have sparked an emotion I had not previously felt or solidified that feeling. Their existence left an imprint along my path leading me to who I am today.
What a revelation. I never thought I knew any legends, but my life has been filled with them.
How about you? Who are your legends?
I absolutely loathe the way that sportsmen, pop stars, actors, and the like, are today described as legends. Instead we should revere the person who has acted as a school crossing warden for the past 30 years, the school teacher who has nurtured children through difficult times at school, the volunteer who gives their time even when feeling down themselves. These are the heroes and legends.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m with you, Peter. Those folks who shared themselves, comforted us, supported us, challenged u…those are the legends in our lives.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m with you on this one. The ability to get punched in the head without falling down doesn’t make someone a legend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agree. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agree. Who are your legends?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would have to say William Shakespeare and William Faulkner are the legends in my life. The heroes for me are my parents.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The music teacher of my youth that got me hooked on music, my parents that taught me to be an adult, my dog who taught me how to have zoomies even beyond middle age, my husband who taught me the art of giving graciously.
LikeLike
Oh good ones Dawn. Thanks for responding.
LikeLike
Legend or myth….. Sometimes I think it doesn’t matter, you know something isn’t true but you still want to believe. 😊
LikeLike
True, fantasies are wonderful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like to think of legends as role models, however, many have proven otherwise through their actions and words. But, we have the right to be selective and set those apart that we look up to. Nice post, Margo!
LikeLike
Thank you very much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
thanks.
LikeLike