Well really, who would you choose? Unlike Dennis the Menace, you may choose someone dead.
These are seven that made my list. Some have been gone for a long time.
Here they are and briefly why.
My Dad. He knew most of the answers, could make me laugh and make me think. I really miss that man and often wonder, "What would you think of all this Dad?" He was alive during the 1918 pandemic.
Dolly Parton. I just admire the heck out of her. She is one funny woman with a big heart and a ready check book. She stepped in and donated one million dollars to Moderna at the beginning of this pandemic but that wasn't the first time she opened her wallet for people she never met. She has a heart as big as her-----.
Jesus. I would want to be in the crowds, feel the love, see the miracles, and hear the word first hand.
Churchill. A smart man with a really quick wit. His words have meaning especially today. "If you are going through Hell, keep going." Good advice.
Jimmy Carter. Maybe not our most successful president thanks to Iran but definitely one of our most decent. Uncle Joe is in the running.
James Herriott. You knew I'd sneak him in. I know he has stories that haven't made it to print.
Jimmy. Who is he you ask? He is the one who taught me how to kiss when I was 10 years old. I would love to tell him that I always gave him credit for my skills later in life.
There are many more but those would keep me busy for a while.
Who would make your list?
Ohmygosh...I'll have to get back to you on this one. IF I can narrow it down, that is.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I've given a few minutes of thought. ...Mark Twain and Margaret Mitchell would be two choices. Or in general, not anyone in particular - but a photographer for the program NATURE (& not necessarily "talk" but follow along with one for a week or two). And one more "group"...someone who lived thru disasters like the Dust Bowl and/or 1910 Galveston Hurricane.
ReplyDeleteAnni,
DeleteMark Twain would be on my list also. What a fertile mind that man had. I did chat with a nature photographer once who worked for Disney. He said patience was the key. It could take him weeks to get that charging bear shot.
Patti. your list was such a good one--I loved it, loved what you said about each one and had a chuckle over Jimmy! That was real sweet. Would you object to me doing my own 7 in a blog? I have to give this some real thought. Hope your week ahead is full of good things :^)
ReplyDeleteDoug,
DeleteJimmy really did deserve credit:)
Go for it Doug. Can't wait to see who you come up with.
Dolly -- heart as big as her hair? We were supposed to guess, right?
ReplyDeleteOlga,
DeleteHa ha. Hair would work.
Haha. Thanks for the chuckle. I would love to talk to my Dad, too.
ReplyDeletegigi,
DeleteGlad you enjoyed. Sounds like you were a daddy's girl also.
Oh, this is a good one, Patti. I will give it some thought, but I sure would like to have an in depth conversation with Martin Luther King.
ReplyDeleteDjan,
DeleteI thought about him but would be sorely tempted to tell him to stay off that balcony.
You have an impressive list! My dad would be top on my list, too, if I made one.
ReplyDeleteJean,
DeleteAh, another daddy's girl. Something about daughters and their fathers.
top of my list is Mom. Just MOM.
ReplyDeleteMargaret,
DeleteWe do miss those supporting people in our lives.
I would like to apologize to mine as she died when I was in my terrible teens and was a pretty lousy daughter.
Aw, but she knows you were a teen. I never got to fight with mine. She died when I was 13. But you are correct, it's the supporting people. I never got that from my dad or my step mom in the same way. Oh well. It is what it is and I did okay.:-)
DeleteMargaret,
DeleteYES you did!!!
I love thinking about who I would like to talk to. My parents top the list, and there are so many more. I never met my paternal grandmother, who I am named after. I would love to talk with her. I would like to talk to my maternal grandfather who walked from Russia to Egypt in the early 1900s to escape the pogroms. The list of famous people is too long to write! A lovely idea, Patti.
ReplyDeleterobin,
DeleteOh my, your grandfather sounds like a real hero. What a venture he managed and his story would be facinating.
What an interesting thought. I immediately thought of my Dad. I was only 20 when he died and I would like an adult conversation with him.
ReplyDeleteFun60,
DeleteI understand that need for an adult conversation. My mom died when I was a teen and we never got to that stage.
Great post! Off the top of my head, Mom and Dad would top the list...though not together. I do talk to them regularly in my head but they're not particularly good at answering me.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm heavy into Ancestry these days I'd chose a couple of my greats. My great-grandfather left Scotland and cut ties with his family there. It would be interesting to learn that story. And then there are two great grandmothers, both of whom died young. I can't trace back on the one - it's like she appeared out of thin air and I'd like to know more. The other I wrote about on my blog, she was orphaned young and grew up with her grandmother before marrying. I'd love to chat with her and give her a hug.
Beyond that, I'm stuck...there aren't many celebs I'd be interested in talking to, though Dolly is probably one of them. Politicians - most of them annoy me. I'll have to think about it.
Take care, stay well.
Eileen,
DeleteYou brought up a great point about those missing links in our ancestry also the unknown "rest of the story" from those who made radical moves.
My mother. She was the most intelligent person I ever knew. I cannot think of another person who could equal her.
ReplyDeleteAnnie,
DeleteThat is the same way I feel about my Dad. We both had a very special parent.
Well my dad was pretty smart but gone most of the time. Mom kept the home-fires burning, taught us everything and fed us well even as poor folks. She could stretch a loaf of bread to last a week. She could feed all five of us one chicken for Sunday Dinner. Of course she ate the neck and said she loved it.
DeleteAnnie,
DeleteWow, my dad ate the neck too and said it was the best part. We had some pretty special parents.
My mom and dad didn't talk much when they were alive, so I don't suppose I'd get much out of them now that they're dead. Pres. Lincoln for sure, and I'd also love to know what Eisenhower and Kennedy would think about what's going on these days.
ReplyDeleteTom,
DeleteGreat choices and I would love to visit Lincoln also. What a man.
First name that came to me was my brother who died when he was 59. I wasn't able to be by his bedside as I was going through surgery in another state at the time. I would love to talk to him. I should have been with him, but wasn't. It will always bother me. Next would be my dad's parents who died when I was a baby. They immigrated to the US from England in 1920... but I never knew why and as far as I know never communicated with their family again.
ReplyDeleteRian,
DeleteI think most immigrants have untold stories that would be interesting to find out. That would have me curious also.
Dennis the Menace is wise.
ReplyDeleteSue,
DeleteAh but look at all the fun he misses out on.
Dear Patti and Friends, you may think you're talking to uncle Bob, who had passed in 06. Demons have had 6,000 some years to observe and imitate humans; they know uncle Bob too.
DeleteSue,
DeleteRelax. This is just a "what if" brain game not real life.
Dear Patti, in a way, this is a tough question you've posed for us. There have been so many wonderful people in my life who have journeyed with me. And then there are all the ones I've read about and never met except in the news or in a history book: Among those who touched my life in our realities, I'd say Mom and Dad. I wonder what they would think about today's civility; Annette, who was surely my soul-mate; Miriam who taught me so much about responding nonjudgmental; Pat who died in 2019 who always gave me good counsel; well too many to write down. Among the others, I'd chose Hermann Melville and Gerald Manley Hopkins as well as Emily Dickinson and Eleanor Roosevelt. So many discerning and marvelous human beings. Peace.
ReplyDeleteDee,
ReplyDeleteYou obviously have some dear people in your life you would love to have a little more time with. Me too.
How did I miss Eleanor Roosevelt? An amazing lady.
I guess I would like the chance to ask questions of my grandmothers and my great grandmothers.
ReplyDeleteLinda,
DeleteI know what you mean. There are times when I think of questions I never got to ask my grandmother and now it is too late.
What a fascinating post! I've spent a lot of thought on this. I never knew my maternal grandmother because she died when I was young. So was she. I would appreciate getting to know her. Otherwise, I'm not sure. Too many people because I'm a curious sort of person.
ReplyDeleteMargaret,
DeleteIt is hard to limit to a couple it isn't it? My list could be much longer
Chatting doesn't come easily to me, so I would choose several people and invite them for pizza, then listen to them chat and maybe get a word or two in myself. Dolly Parton makes the list of course, along with James Spader, Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, my frinds Kath Lockett and her husband Dean and a few favourite bloggers. That should fill a room.
ReplyDeleteRiver,
DeleteNow that is a great idea. Let's make a party of it. Glad you put Dolly on your list also. I have never met anyone who just doesn't like her.
I'd love to chat with both of my parents, long gone. I'm adding a dear friend, Barbara, who passed away ten years ago. If I may I will join you in a chat with Churchill and Dolly Parton. Not sure about the other two people, but a fun thought for today.
ReplyDeleteButtercup,
DeleteWelcome to TNS and thanks for joining in on the game. You certainly can join Dolly, Winston and I. Wouldn't you love to see those two together?
I'd love to talk to both of my Grandmothers. Two women who up and left their homes t 17 and 18 and headed out to WA and OR mostly on their own. My Mom. Questions I should have asked a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteWomen are on my list: Jo, Marion, Jeanine.
DeleteCelia,
DeleteWow, that was extremely brave of your grandmothers.
Mage,
DeleteMight be fun to make it a party.
Hm, what a fun idea. I will have to think about that and perhaps post the answers?
ReplyDeleteFriko,
DeleteCool, I look forward to your post.
Oooh-la, Jimmy! LOL! I guess my top peeps to talk to would all be deceased ancestors. Like why the heck didn't you tell someone your maiden name? What I'd really like to do is be a fly on the wall and not talk at all...just listen. I so could be a spy. :)
ReplyDeleteTerri,
DeleteI hadn't thought about how that could mess up an ancestry search. I hope you are making sure all your records are complete for who ever does it in the future.
Yes, I too would love to be a watcher and listener.
Oh, so many ... I'll stick to 5.
ReplyDelete1) Leonardo da Vinci 2)Benjamin Franklin
3) Charles Dickens, 4) FDR and 5) Gregory Peck (to thank him for his kindness to me in 1955)
Ginnie,
DeleteI remember your encounter with Mr. Peck and envied you. That would be cool.
I like your list except for maybe one. As for Churchill, his motto, 'Never, never give up," has been my motto all my life. He was a great man who people loved to hate in his time.
ReplyDeleteSnickelfritz,
DeleteThat is a good motto and I am sure sometimes hard to live up to.
That will take a LOT of thought. I laughed at "Jimmy".
ReplyDeleteJudy,
DeleteI plan to do a rerun on Jimmy. If I remember correctly, you were also super popular about then and also kept a list of boys and let them know they ranked:))
I’ve been thinking so often of my mother and wish we could talk. Numerous others who departed life unexpectedly i would like to talk with have crossed my mind in recent years.
ReplyDeleteJoared,
DeleteI know, I feel that way about Dad and sometimes have one sided conversations with him.
I think I'd like to talk again to my maternal grandfather. Buddha would be interesting. I like your idea of down home Dolly Parton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller.
ReplyDeleteI tend to go back to dead like my grandpa and many close relatives. In mylife time i had some interesting encounters on my global travels. I really have no immediate ones for now. Seems a lot of nieces and nephews want to chat with me though.
ReplyDelete