LJI: Carved in Stone

[bewize]

I have never seen Mount Rushmore, except in photographs and film. While I wouldn't necessarily refuse to go if it was convenient, it's not some place that would feature high on my dream vacation destinations. I'm tired of going to see "Old White Man History," white-washed and devoid of the richness and significance the Mountain held for those who came before Charles E. Rushmore and his guide, William Challis named it without thought. (“What’s the name of that mountain?” Rushmore allegedly asked. Challis is said to have replied, “It’s never had one...till now...we’ll call the damn thing Rushmore.”)

Danish-American sculptor Gutzon Borglum is much more interesting to me than Rushmore and Challis. Borglum had the wild and crazy dream to carve a mountain. Consulting only his son, supposedly, Borglum decided to choose subject material that would stir the nation and picked four presidents, hoping to capture certain characteristics of each man and literally carve them into stone:

George Washington, chosen because he fought to create something new and better than what had existed before; Thomas Jefferson, chosen to represent growth and inherent values; Theodore Roosevelt, chosen to represent conservation; and, lastly, Abraham Lincoln, chosen to represent perseverance.

I am no artist. I can't draw a stick figure to save my life and I wouldn't know which end of a chisel to use. But, when it comes to moving mountains, each of us has our own experiences to draw from and while our final product won't be carved into mountains, for many of us it will be carved in a final stone, summed up in a pithy epithet.

Here lies Bewize. too bad she died; she was a keeper.

At least, that's what I hope my figurative headstone would say. Forgetting the fact that I have chosen cremation, headstones come with a certain pressure to have a final word. Since we don't get to necessarily supervise the carving, we have to rely on others to make sure it's embodying our best selves.

Bewize the Daughter. Bewize the Mom. Bewize the Sister. Bewize the Friend. Bewize the Lawyer. Bewize the Entertainer. Bewize the Author. Bewize the Lover. Bewize the Student. Bewize the Band Nerd. Bewize the Cat-Owned.

These are all faces that you'll see carved into me, if you look at the right angles, with the perfect squint to your eyes. I wear them proudly - and so many more.

But, the faces of my life that I want to see (figuratively speaking, but I'm not above being a ghost) are the one that capture the values most important to me.



Bewize, chosen to represent Honor. She did her best to keep her promises and worked hard to be worthy of your respect.

Bewize, chosen to represent Integrity. She was true to herself and honest, sometimes brutally so, but she worked her whole life to learn how to speak Compassionate Honesty, Kind Honesty, and Caring Honesty more than the too oft-revered Brutal cousin.

Bewize, chosen to represent Loyalty. She would move mountains for the people she considered hers. She would stand with you, even when you couldn't stand anymore.

Bewize, chosen to represent Nurturing. She showed others how to move mountains on their own.



These are my ideals, not my reality, alas. I'm all too human, all too flawed. But, that's okay. I've got the rest of my life ahead of me, and I'm armed with dynamite, jackhammers, and determination.


What values will someone carve into stone to represent you someday?




This entry was written for therealljidol 02: "Mount Rushmore." If there is voting, I will share the poll. Thanks.

Comments

[adoptedwriter]

This was wonderful.

[bewize]

Thank you so much!

[static_abyss]

I love your entry and especially your narration in this. You have a very inviting voice to your writing. It makes me want to follow along to wherever we're going.

[bewize]

Hehehe. Sometimes, I don't even know where I'm headed. I just hang on for the ride.

[tjoel2]

Interesting how you connected the literal Mount Rushmore to your life! Kudos

[bewize]

Thank you!

[tonithegreat]

I like the way you got to the point succinctly and engagingly with this post!

If I went down right now, I like to think my aspects that should be memorialized are: Family-woman, Earth-warrior, climber, and woman-who-could-still-laugh-even-in-2018-and-help-others laugh-too.

A fun excercise!

[bewize]

Those are good characteristics. That last one is especially vital in today's world!

[alycewilson]

I hope the values that would represent me would be:

alycewilson, chosen to represent Perseverence

and

alycewilson, chosen to represent loyalty

Interesting take on the prompt!

[bewize]

It's interesting to see what people would choose for themselves. It made me do some thinking about my own life and whether other people would choose those for me. :)

[fausts_dream]

Lofty ideals are a great beginning. The things that matter to you are a big part of what you are. Plus I suspect you embody them better than you suspect.

[bewize]

Thank you!

[rayaso]

I love the way you moved from carving mountains to your personal tombstone. It is impossible to say much on a tombstone beyond name/born/died. You've given your family a lot to choose from for a memorial, even if you are cremated. Everyone deserves a stone.

[bewize]

Thank you! I think everyone gets a stone, some just arne't in stone.

[sonreir]

Wow! I didn't even think of the headstone connection. This is excellent.

[bewize]

It helped once I thought of a title...

[jenwithapen]

Ohhh, ohhh!! Ohhh!

I was afraid to really research the history on Rushmore, because -- well, firstly, I figured most would reference it and I didn't want to overwhelm, and secondly, I was worried it would sway the direction of my piece. This is the EXACT reason why I'm so glad I didn't... because I'm not sure it could be done better. I haven't read all entries, yet, but... I'm just blown away by this.

I mean, I've always loved your writing, but woman! "Here lies Bewize. too bad she died; she was a keeper." YES, INDEED!! There are ways that you wrote this that are SO Vonnegutian... I can't even. =D -flaily hands-

Also, I'm TOO totally tired of old white man history! ;P I'm old and white, but I'm a woman, and apparently still have freaking perspective in this damn country of ours. =P

Lovely read!

[bewize]

Thank you so much! I'm so flattered by your comment. It really made my day to be compared to Vonnegut. O.O

[the_eternal_overthinker]

I like what you did here and the transition into a personal territory was seamless. I want people to remember me even after I am gone and maybe that's the reason why I write. How do they remember me is entirely up to them though. "A friend" would describe me the best, I think :) Thanks for penning this!

[bewize]

Friend is a powerful word!

Thank you for the comment.

[bleodswean]

Ideals keep us moving forward, the representation of what we want to be. This is a thoughtful piece.

[bewize]

Thank you so much. Moving forward is my life goal. <3

[dmousey]

I read pieces of this to my husband! It made him laugh, and he also praised you and said you were quite clever. Thank you...


***BTW I thought this wonderful! ✌😊

[bewize]

Thank you so much. I'm grinning like a fool at your comment. :D

[sorchawench]

Great entry. I like the way you look at our values being carved into stone.

[bewize]

Thank you!

[halfshellvenus]

I like your irreverent epitaph, and I think most of us would wish to be thought of as keepers!

I almost read your last presidential description as "Abraham Lincoln, chosen to represent himself." My brain auto-completed it that way, because with Abe, I think that's enough! Abe was Abe, and that was good. ;)

I think my foremost value would be, "Tried to be kind." Which is somewhat sad, in that it's not just Kindness. But we try, sometimes we fail, and sometimes it's just that our idea of kindness isn't always correct for every given case.

Gee, maybe mine should say "Wishy Washy" or "Devil's Advocate" or something. But this is just how Libras are...

[bewize]

Hahaha. It's hard to figure out what other people may really think about you. Tried to be kind is important, though. It's what you can control.

[bsgsix]

I really enjoyed this take on the prompt; it's thought-provoking and quite deep. As a person who has faced death a few times, I drew in a sharp breath once or twice (even though I smiled once or twice as well) and thought "what will represent me?" I mean - what is beyond the ideal, and what is my reality?

You gave me something to ponder, and did so in a lyrical, well-worded fashion. I truly think this is an important piece.

[bewize]

Thank you! It's something I ponder more than I should, I guess. What will my legacy be?

[flipflop_diva]

I love how you went from talking about the actual Mount Rushmore to your own ideal version of it, and the look at your many, many faces.

(Although I do have to say the tombstone part gave me flashbacks to the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland: 'Here lies Fred, a great big rock fell on his head' lol)

[encrefloue]

I think having those qualities as your ideals speaks volumes about the human that you are, even if you don't feel as though you attain them. Great, reflective piece that surely inspires reflection in others.

[song_of_thea]

A lovely take on the prompt.

[murielle]

This is SO well done! A d so very personal. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Your legacy is yourself, all that you are!