LUCILLE BALL SAVED MY LIFE
When I was nine Lucille Ball blew into my life like a hot Santana wind on a blistering Hollywood afternoon.
In the fifties I watched a lot of television as a kid but Lucy was my favorite.
Color TV was a unheard of then and for many years I only knew her red hair and big blue eyes by color photos.
I would sit down in front of the TV and I always felt this little bump of delight as I would watch her gambol onto the stage with her broad grin, huge blue eyes and her science fiction red flaming hair.
I would get the giggles as I watched her skip through life with abandon.
I loved her highs and lows, failures and missteps and the wreckage she would inevitably leave behind as her husband, friends and strangers gawped.
She would find herself in the most improbable of situations and then she would just jump into the deep end of the pool without water wings.
As far as I was concerned she could have fallen into an out house and come up with her mouth full of strawberry ice cream.
I found her courage inspiring!
Lucy became both my mentor and my savior. Lucy taught me how to be a proud red head and a free woman
Red heads carry the rare MC1R gene. Most red heads have brown eyes however some very special ones have eyes as blue as the heart of a flame.
Lucy and I both have bright blue eyes. We are a rare breed, the unicorns of the hair do set.
However living in the world as a red headed child also had its painful side.
As a kid my bright locks brought the furies of hell down onto my small vulnerable noggin.
The limitless cruelty of children is unimaginable.
It seemed my hair was a bright red target for all of their angry arrows.
Teased, left out, back benched and not being a part of the group was the unceasing hell of my childhood.
I begged my red headed mother to dye my hair another color. She refused, thank goodness!
Being a red headed girl was the pits for me as a kid and yet there was always Lucy showing me how to rock my flaming strands.
At 8:00 pm Lucy would greet me with with smiles and the safety that is so needed by all children.
I would tuck in with a snack and watch my hero that had become a flashing beacon of light that sparked into my dark, pain filled places. She made me feel safe as she cosseted me in her laughing embrace.
Lucy gave me hope.
As the years went by my flaming banner became a harbinger of delight, mystery and rare status to those around me, especially men.
I was a glowing thread in a dull tapestry of blondes and brunettes.
The gaping holes in my being that had been rent by those sharp and angry arrows were replaced with confidence and self acceptance.
The nightmare of my childhood is now a far distant memory and has gone into complete remission.
Thank you Lucy from the tips of my scarlet toenails to the top of my glorious red mop.
You saved me in every way a person can be saved.
I raise a toast to you, the red head of all red heads.
I love you Lucy and I thank you for saving my life.
