Buddha meets my Childhood Heroes

I opened up to Buddha today. I let him in.

We thought it would be advantageous that he meet some of my mentors from the past. As I have lost touch with most of them I asked him if he wanted to meet my heroes instead. He agreed. In my mind's eye I asked them to meet in the Grand Canyon of my heart. Then Buddha went to meet them.

This is what he said, "Here they are. Everyone you wanted to be and thought you already were. Wonder Woman is an obvious choice. Athena, Greek Goddess of War- what battles were you having? Hmmm. Hunter S. Thompson is an unusual hero. Or was it that you found amusement in his books? Were you a practicing voyeur or did you accumulate empirical data? Never mind. It isn't for me to know. Just yet... Now, Gandhi is so cliche, I'm surprised. Its like choosing the Buddha to go on a walkabout or something--- which, oh, I guess you tried that too. Now who's that in the corner on Athena's shoulder? Is that Nina Simone? This must have been when you were a little older then? Like 14? Or 15? Yes, she was a spirited one. I'm glad she's in there too. Its good to keep your feet on the ground. Its important to have realistic heroes and dreams. They are the ones most likely to actually come into being."


Note about the authors of these images: The picture of Wonder Woman is courtesy of Mike's Wonder Woman Home Page, which "has sadly now gone." Thank you anyway Mike. Your intention is clearly remembered. For the fabulous shot of Nina Simone playing piano, caught with her hands in mid-flight! His name is Roland Godefroy and he took this on May 14, 1982. There is a great article that accompanies Gandhi's picture that is riveting to read tangentially. Otherwise, no other authors are accounted for.