It was nice of Time to name all of us as the person of the year and I had thought about writing a short little paragraph or two about the honor, but when this popped up in one of the forums that I read it just seems to sum it up much better than any of my musings could do.
Getting fired can certainly take a drain on one emotionally, especially at the holidays. However, I have tried to keep myself positive and trust that something bigger is around the corner. Little did I know it would come this soon. I got online this morning and saw some amazing news on msn.com. It seems that in a tie vote, I was one of 10 million Time Magazine readers to be picked as "Person of The Year".
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061217/ap_on_re_us/time_person_of_year
Naturally, I feel humbled by this news. I would like to thank the editors at Time for recognizing my many accomplishments this year. I must also confess, that after several years as the bridesmaid, I am relieved to finally get my shot as the bride.
My 7th place finish to President Jimmy Carter in 1979 was somewhat understandable for the simple reason that I was only born in October of that year. Perhaps if my mother could have been knocked up a few months sooner, I would have popped out in March and had more time to campaign. Still though, it seemed like a promising start.
1994's second place finish was slightly more frustrating, losing in a tight battle to Pope John Paul II. According to Time Magazine, starring as Seymour Krelborn in my high school production of "Little Shop of Horrors", graduating from high school two months later, then getting accepted to matriculate at a prestigious college like Ohio University was not a strong enough resume. Well pardon me that I don't look good in white robes and molest altar boys!! I still maintain that the Pope won the award as more of a lifetime achievement thing than for accomplishments in that particular year.
Yet, here I am... 12 years later, with the opportunity to put my bitternesss aside and celebrate. It's been a long a winding road... but it feels good to finally sit atop the mountain and get the some long overdue recognition.
While the selfish part of me would like to be the ONLY recipient this year, I recognize that there are times when several people are on the frontlines, making the world a better place. I am happy to share this title with great Americans like Mel Gibson and Michael Richards, who have been leading the charge...preaching tolerance for different religions and cultures.
I am happy to stand side by side with Kevin Federline, a shining example of what it means to be a father and husband. Not to mention writing one of the most socially important songs of our lifetime in "Popozao".
I would be remiss if I overlooked Britney Spears, a woman strong enough to say "Hey, I have a huge C-Section scar 6 inches above my vagina... but I know it doesn't make me any less beautiful. So I will rebel against our societal standards of beauty and show it to the world!"
All in all, I sit at this computer this morning feeling like the luckiest guy in the world. I look forward to raising the bar even higher for myself in 2007.
Thank you.
Originally posted by...TolerancE, read the thread Here
