Three Things I Learned from Betty White To Better Age Productively
A personal tribute
For eighteen months, the antics of the Golden Girls have made me less lonely. Their comedy ensured my day closed with laughter. They made me forget my grief for a while as I sought sleep.
Betty as poor naïve Rose was magical. I can’t think of her letter to Mr. Gorbachev without shrieking, but it was the loyalty of her friends who tried to protect her from ridicule that warmed my heart. Only Rose would try to forget Miles, her boyfriend, with the man from whom he was hiding.
After watching them for eighteen months, I can affirm the truth of the late Madeleine L’Engle’s observation: “A good laugh heals a lot of hurts.”
With the passing of Betty White, I feel a personal sense of loss. The writers and producers of the Golden Girls created a classic.
When celebrities die, they often become larger than life as if death was another accolade. In Betty’s case, whatever tributes people pour on her, cannot do justice to such a successful female comedian of the 20th Century.
Although I’m enamored by Betty’s talent, I am more fascinated by her life and what I can learn from it.
Short overview
She was born in the winter of 1922. She experienced the Depression, World War 11, the rise of feminism, and changing roles of women at home and at work. She lived through the growth of our small and large screens.
I learned that she worked in different media: radio, theatre, big and small screen.
She took on different roles-a model, radio and television host, producer, dancer, and actress, and comedian.
Her life forced me to evaluate the process of aging well and I’m more than ever determined to do these three things.
1. Accept new challenges. Betty was poised for television but the second World War interrupted her career. She joined the Women’s Volunteer Services to help the troops but at night, she danced.
In her 60’s, she auditioned for the familiar role of a flirty party girl in the Golden Girls. The producer offered her the part of a naïve, country girl who as dumb /Rose Nulund frustrated others with her St Olaf’s stories. If she fretted having to pronounce those tortuous Slavian words, her audience never knew.
Life events interrupt plans but I can always adjust, seek alternatives and adapt to the new situation. After all, aging well is accepting loss and making adjustments.
2. Not to retire from work. Betty won another Emmy for her hosting of Saturday Night Live. At 96, she was still acting and continued to engage in the entertainment world until her death
3. Remain engaged in Innovation. Betty grew up without cell phones, social media, and the web. Yet she managed her own Twitter account that had over a million followers.
The hardest part of writing for me is using the technology that my younger colleagues have at their fingertips. Furthermore, every coach and top writer on Medium has observed that a social media presence helps to grow one’s readership. Yet, I find the media an unfamiliar environment. Betty has deprived me of my excuse. If she can manage a Twitter account, I should at least be more active.
As a woman privileged to share most of the twentieth century
Betty was born fifteen months before my mother. I watched Mom try to come to terms with the inventions, new customs, and trends of a new century. Betty’s experience of change was in the glare of publicity and she never publically took a back seat. Hers was a remarkable life and I’m so grateful to have lived in her times.
