Admiration
I’ve been thinking about…
…admiration.
We admire actions — “What a kind thing to do.”
We admire things — “What a beautiful dinner.”
We admire people — “What an accomplished woman.”
Admiration encompasses approval, appreciation, respect, with a large portion of esteem, wonder, and awe. Spending time with my grands, I see how their parents use statements of admiration to shape behaviors and to build character. Psychologists call this “positive reinforcement.” But it is more than that. On a genuine level, adults are doing more than approving actions or comments, they are reacting with admiration, often with awe at the empathy and wisdom shining forth from their children’s minds and hearts.
Reflecting on my own life, I realize how admiration of people shaped me. Most people can call up names of their personal heroes. We play the game of “Who —of anyone in the world from anytime— would you enjoy having to dinner?” As a child and still today, I enjoy reading biographies where I can take deep dives into a personal hero’s life to understand why they are worthy of admiration. The best biographies, of course, share the “warts and all” of a life, of overcoming adversities, to reveal what led to a life worthy of admiration.
Sometimes, we actually get to meet a person who is long admired. I’ve been reading Peggy Noonan’s columns on line and in the Wall Street Journal for 25 years. In her early career, she was a speech writer for Ronald Reagan — a person who shaped her life. I’ve read her books, including the now classic What I Saw at the Revolution.
We are about the same age, from Irish stock, raised in families that survived — but who were scarred — by the Great Depression. It is not surprising that she expresses what I am often thinking about as well.
Like fans everywhere, when given a chance to meet someone we admire, I trekked to Little Point Book Store in Pt. Pleasant to meet Peggy Noonan. She did not disappoint. She was as charming — and dynamic — in person as she is in her writing.
Ms. Noonan, long a devoted mother to her son, Will, is a newly minted grandmother to Baby Peter. Her unabashed joy in her family is something that also feels very familiar to me.
When I had the moment when she signed her book for me, I rather shyly offered her several of my books — to celebrate her new status and to add to Baby Peter’s book collection.
She was delighted! (Gosh!) She said she has yet to “find” a grandmother name. What Do You Call Your Grandmother may inspire ideas, but certainly will affirm that ALL grandmother names are beautiful. I wish her joy in reading my books and many, many others with Peter.
The picture captures the moment. Admiration!
