Saturday, February 6, 2010

Life's lessons from a TV show?

Today, I indulged in the entire first season of the 1980s TV show "Airwolf". When I finally took a break from it (and I'm not obsessed with it... really!), it occurred to me that "Airwolf" really did significantly impact me. Here's just 2 of the big ways it did in my life:

For years of my childhood, I had wanted to be a fighter jet pilot. I was absolutely crushed when I began wearing glasses in the 2nd grade. When "Airwolf" began airing, it helped me develop the idea that when life hands you lemons, make lemonade (or invisible ink). Being a helicopter pilot became my next dream. Over the years, I have changed many plans but not my ideals. I still want to go out and save the world.

Over time, I became smitten with the main character, Stringfellow Hawke. I became determined to find a man with his kind of characteristics -- he possessed integrity and principles, lived a life of honour, had fierce loyalty to family and friends and country, always wanting to do the right thing, possessed bravery and courage as well as intelligence, a classy gentleman. (Plus he was cute, had a dog, had great taste in lifestyle, and he had Airwolf.) I found my own real-life warrior 2 decades later, sans the Mach-1 helicopter. Of course, these same characteristics are true of a real man of God, which Hawke was not.

So here's to entertaining shows which develop positive life outcomes.

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