They say that you shouldn’t meet your idols as they almost always end up disappointing you. I don’t really like the word idol. In some ways it indicates seamless perfection, making it impossible for followers to acknowledge shortcomings. For this very reason I think it’s better to say there are qualities you admire in someone as opposed to saying the person is your idol as this leaves room for error, misguided brainwashing and personal disappointment.
As a naïve teenager, I was very enthralled with former Miss Universe Wendy Fitzwilliam. Her story, her come-up and her achievements were the ultimate fairytale for any woman (or maybe just me) at least what she allowed us to see. The way she overcame her battles made me so jealous of her strength. What I saw was perfection and for some time it did make me feel like perfection was achievable and a reality for humans. She handled every situation she was in as if she were reading instructions from a rule book on how to master life.
