Today in the US it is ‘Presidents’ Day’.  It is also ‘Random Act of Kindness’ day.  So I decided to make a mashup day. It’s now the ‘Presidents and Other Random People Day’.

I started by looking up some images of George Washington (Prez #1).

This is what I found.

I found the usual images but I also found some random images of people who didn’t, at first glance, seem to belong in a search for George.  Since today is also Random Acts of Kindness Day I thought I would show a kindness by remembering and honoring these other people as well.

1. George the Myth

The painting is of George Washington as a young boy. It is illustrating the mythical story of him admitting to his father that he chopped down the cherry tree because he ‘could not tell a lie’. All Americans know that story and many of us know the painting. But who is the guy drawing back the curtain and pointing to the illustration? The name of the painting is ‘Parson Weem’s Fable’ by Grant Wood and the man in the painting is Parson Weems, the creator of the fable about the cherry tree.  It’s been alleged, and with good reason based on his other exaggerations, that Weems made up the story.  Washington was revered above all other figures among the founding fathers and mothers, and with good reason. But along with that admiration came a desire to exalt him way above his reality. This story was just one of many meant to put him up on a quasi-God pedestal.  The truth is though, he needs no pedestal.  The raw facts of his life and his efforts are enough to put him at the pinnacle of America.

________________________

2. George the Inventor

This one isn’t hard to figure out. The photo is of George Washington Carver, the amazing scientist and educator. He was known primarily for his many discovered uses for peanuts that helped create a billion dollar industry.  He was the one who introduced crop rotation to the south, saving it from soil depletion from heavy cotton and tobacco growing.  He also was an inventor, educator, painter and a musician.  This man was a great man, never once selling or patenting any ideas of his, always saying “God gave them to me, how can I sell them to others?”.  Check him out, it’s worth it.

_______________________

3. George the Model

He’s a model and has nothing to do with George.  The book however is about Washington as a young boy and man.  Who knows how accurate it is.  

_______________________

4.  George the Congressman

It’s easy enough to assume his name is George Washington something and you would be right. He’s George Washington Collins. He was a Congressman from Illinois who died in 1972 in a plane crash after only 2+ years in office.  His legacy was cut short, but his wife, Cardiss Hortense Collins, ran for his seat in congress and won. She ended up serving 24 years in the House of Representatives. A Random accident led to an amazing career for the first African American woman from the midwest to ever serve in Congress.  Read her story, it’s also worth it.

_____________________

5. George the Bridge  

Honestly this one caught my eye first.  A modern day woman in an image search for George? That definitely didn’t make sense.  But it does.  George Washington had a bridge named after him, the bridge going between New Jersey and New York.  This woman jumped off it to her death this month.  Her name is Ashley Riggitano and she committed suicide on her 22nd birthday (Feb 6th, 2014).  She was a burgeoning jewelry designer and  fashionista in NYC.  She left a suicide note in her Louis Vuitton bag she left on the bridge. In it she told of being bullied and harassed by ‘friends’, 5 of whom she named and said she did not want to be allowed at her funeral.  These women included her supposed best friend and business partner in her jewelry business.  One told her to “Go kill yourself with Xanax” shortly before she jumped off the bridge.  Her family said she had suffered from depression and anti-depressants were found in her bag along with the note.  It was also said she had tried to commit suicide before. It’s a very sad story.

___________________

So, I was thinking maybe our random act of kindness today can be the giving of attention. I loved finding out who these people were, what they added to the world. They may all have passed away, but they deserve to be paid attention to, to be remembered in kindness, random or otherwise.

__________________

© 2014 Marty Coleman | Napkin Dad Publishing

__________________