I neeeeed a hero, I’m hoooolding out for a hero to the end of the night – Reverb12 Day 16: Who inspired you?

Princess (Source: Battleoftheplanets.net)

1980s pop music has a lot to answer for; fortunately, I know that there is no possible way that I will be the only person of my acquaintance who can still sing/”sing” Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out for a Hero all the way through. This is in no small part owing to my years spent as a faithful worshipper in the Church of Cheesy Pop (when I was an undergraduate), where such songs were the hymns, but my favourite part of the song is the Greek Chorus of ladies in white. The gender politics are annoying, and were annoying, even when I was eight years old, as Bonnie Tyler’s character didn’t quite fit with my other heroines – She-Ra, Wonderwoman, Princess in G-Force, Annie, Anne Shirley, Jo March and Joey Bettany – at the time. Yet still the song was something of a classic, and it does suit today’s Reverb12 prompt:

Who inspired you in 2012? And why?

What gifts did they give you? And how will you carry these forward in to 2013?

Obviously, Anne Shirley, Annie, Jo March, Joey Bettany, Princess, She-Ra, and Wonderwoman are still my heroines, along with a whole pantheon of others – heroines and heroes both – from film, history, and literature, but I’m not going to talk about them here. Not this time.

How things should be (Image via Feministing)

Towards the end of 2011, I looked seriously at the people in my life and made some important decisions. It was surprisingly easy to take that first step to decide who would be part of my future, as I sought to to make the more difficult choice as to what that future would be. Each person who helped me be here today, back at home and looking forward to Christmas this year, my family and friends old and comparatively new, inspired me to get this far, and will continue to do so in 2013. They inspire me through their presence in my life, through the way in which they lead their own lives, through their brilliant conversation, rich imaginations and simple persistence in getting me out the door and back to doing things I loved. They’re also introducing me to new ideas, new people, and new things. They’ve got me through by showing me that there are other things to be thinking about, other things to be doing.

Going forward into 2013, I need to keep listening to these people, particularly when they tell me that I need to slow down, even stop, for a little while, and when they tell me good things about myself that I need to try to believe to continue. Much more important than what they have all done for me, and continue to do for me, is realising that I have an obligation to do things for them too, to be there for them. I know it’s more than an obligation – it’s what I want to do. It’s life. That’s the gift that family and friends, who are my inspiration, are giving me.