For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by the combination of wisdom, kindness and gentle humor.
My first crush, when I was just a wee little girly, was on Pa and Hoss, from Bonanza. It seemed to me that between the two of them, they were perfect. Pa was wise...and Hoss was kind and had a sweet sense of humor--what I've since come to think of as "a twinkle". Other little girls loved Little Joe or maybe Adam--but not me! Little Joe was callow and reckless. Adam was too harsh and judgemental (and besides, I always got him confused with Candy!) (And what kind of name was "Candy" for a cowboy, anyway?!) Nope, Pa and Hoss...together. Not sure who I would've chosen, if I'd had to pick only one, since Hoss, while dear, wasn't overly burdened with brains...and Pa did not really seem to know how to let his hair down and have a good laugh every now and again...
When I discovered Star Trek, it was Spock I loved, not Captain Kirk...Spock, who was wise and kind, and had a twinkle lurking there *somewhere*... (Okay, so I liked Kirk later, when HE got old and wise and twinkly...but young Kirk left me cold.
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...and when Star Wars came out, and I finally saw it, I scoffed at immature Luke Skywalker, and fixated on Obi-Wan Kenobi--who was wise, and had twinkles galore. (I'll admit that Han Solo came in a close second...not so much for wisdom or twinkles, but he had that cool vest...and if he white shirt didn't *exactly* have pirate sleeves, if I closed my eyes and squinted, I could imagine them.
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Is it any wonder, then, when I first read The Hobbit (and later, The LoTR series), it was Gandalf, that I fell for, hook line and sinker...with Sam and Merry as close seconds? (Frodo and Bilbo grew on you...Frodo, especially...but Sam and Merry were undervalued, I felt.)
Gandalf had one major flaw though...one that I always forget, between readings, and then remember, as soon as I pick the books up again.
He not only LIKED to be right, he TOLD you he was right, over and over again!
I'm doing my annual rereading of "The Fellowship of the Ring" right now, and while I SHOULD be deeply affected by the plight of Sam and poor Bill, as the company stands at the Hollin gate of Moria, instead, I'm giggling over Gandalf, who is at it again.
When Bill has to be released into the wild, he can't just let him go with a wizardly blessing--no, he has to say, "Well, I THOUGHT we'd come to this road eventually, and if I'd had MY way, we would never have brought a pony!" (Thank you, Mr. Sensitivity. That will certainly ease the blow for Sam!
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I *do* love people, and their little quirks--even in literature!
(And for those of you who are trying to respond to my last journal and responses, and can't...that's because I've deleted the entry. I'm afraid that in commenting, I was getting much more "rant-y" than I'd ever intended, and I really don't think that's very helpful in the long run. I'd really not intended the journal as a put-down of a system...but simply as a way of sharing my amusement at the way individuals reacted to the process. The world has enough negativity in it, without my adding to it. The deletion was in no way a reflection of YOUR comments, which were all very civil, and interesting--just in my own desire not to be responsible for spreading negativity.
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Footnotes:
One of my favorite entries, in my all-time favorite blog - Creating Passionate Users. Prepare to be challenged by it!
Favorite dA Resources:
How to Feel Miserable as an Artist
Getting Paid What You're Worth
A Gateway To Another Time 
