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Goodbye Beloved Icon
Here is to the legend that was Betty White
When the show Sex and the City came out, women everywhere analyzed themselves and determined which of the four main characters they most resembled. Were they Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, or Miranda? Like everyone else, I looked at my own life and decided…
I was none of them. The character I was most like was on a different classic TV show, The Golden Girls, and that character was Rose Nylund, played by the incomparable Betty White.
People have described Rose as naive and ditzy, but they don’t understand. Rose was genuine, kind, and funny. She admitted when she didn’t know something and just moved on instead of being bogged down in feelings of shame at her “ignorance.” She loved participating in the conversations and sharing stories of her beloved hometown of St. Olaf. By being vulnerable, she drew viewers in and made them feel like she was someone you could be best friends with, if you were lucky.
Betty White was a legend for similar reasons. She was comfortable in her skin and funny. So so funny. She loved animals and spent much of her time and energies involved in animal conservation. She was candid and shared her regrets, such as not saying yes to her husband Alan Ludden’s proposal until the third time he asked.
The thing I loved most, though, about Betty White was her joy of life and her down-to-earth personality. What a gift it is to approach every day intentionally with joy like she did. What a gift it was that the world got to know Betty White.
Apple TV presently has a “Beloved Icon” section dedicated to shows and movies featuring Betty. And that is what she was: beloved.
So goodbye, “beloved icon.” Thank you for sharing yourself with the world, and thank you for being a friend.