Dear Friends,
In the idealized worlds of “Beaver Cleaver” and “Father Knows Best,” ask a child who his or her hero is and undoubtedly the answer will be one or both of their parents. For better or for worse, I didn’t grow up in a stereotypical family situation. Without strong role models in the home, I found my heroes in less conventional areas: books, movies, and comic books.
I wanted to grow up to be a superhero. I didn’t want to escape the world and become Superman, Spiderman, or Batman (although Aquaman always did have great hair). Those characters already existed. I wanted to be me – just me as a superhero.
Eventually it did finally sink in that I wasn’t destined to sprout superpowers. And, running around in tights with a cape was only going to land me in the nut house. But being a hero, I realized, isn’t about other worldly powers or fancy costumes. A hero is an ordinary person who does extraordinary things.
So, I wrote a screenplay about it and optioned off the rights. It turns out my true heroes weren’t the characters I read about or watched on the sliver screen, they were the authors and screenwriters who got paid for sharing their imagination with the world: S.E. Hinton, J.D. Salinger, Stan Lee, Gregory Widen, and Tennessee Williams.
Heroes are the people we look up to and try to emulate. You don’t chose to be a hero, you are chosen. No one expects perfection, so don’t expect it of yourself. What makes you a hero in another’s eyes is how you overcome your imperfections.
As always, I am your fan and you are my family.
Peace Love Trust
rikki lee travolta
Review other RLT commentary
It's All Relative
Stand Against Racism
Writing About Life
Crazy Pants Travolta
Gregory Hines
Everwood
Book Excerpt: Bus Fare
Learning to Stand
A Time of War
Country Charm
Talking Frankly About Family (& Christmas)
My Fractured Life
Forever Love
Good and Evil
Man Behind the Wheel
The Little Engine that Could: A Memorial
Perceptions of Perfection
Personal Decisions
Responsibility in Communication
You Done Good
Duality of Man
Evolution of a Hero
Reason to Quit - Stop Smoking
Beware of Stalkers
Dare to Dream
Do The Right Thing
Dealing with Abuse
Mother's Day
Right to Choose
Support the Cause
Just Try
Virtue of One
Martin Luther King Jr
Free Form Jazz
Creating the News
Great Expectations
Story of a Life
Acting 101
Why I Cried
Personal Values vs. Monetary Value
Broken Hearts
Dignity over Jealousy
Community Responsibility
Life, Honesty, and Integrity
Drug Withdrawal
Christmas Spirit
Rikki Lee Travolta's debut album!
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