I Never Promised You A Rose Garden

During my 42 years of living, I've had the priviledge of meeting quite a few celebrities.  I guess I was destined to meet the stars - for my 9th birthday, our friends Alice and Ed gave me a very impressive red, white and blue autograph book.  I still have it today, tucked away in my fireproof safety box.  There's only a few blank pages left, one of which is reserved for when I meet Susan Lucci. 

The first celebrity autograph that I got was from country music legend Lynn Anderson.  The year was 1973.  Mom, Dad, Grandpa and I were at the rodeo held during the state fair.  Back in the day, this rodeo was the big thing - it was always held during the fair, and they always had a major country music star as entertainment.  This year, it was Miss "Rose Garden" herself, Lynn Anderson.  At this point in her career, she was a big star.  She'd won a Grammy for "Rose Garden",  and I'd already worn out 2 copies of the 45 from playing it so much. 

Lynn Anderson was not only a big country star, she was also a championship horsewoman. So it was only fitting that she appear at the rodeo and ride out on horseback.  From our seats, we could see her in her aqua-colored cowgirl outfit, standing bedside her horse as she was waiting to ride out.  Grandpa took me over to where she was, and I bravely called her name and asked if I could have her autograph.  As she as signing my book, I snapped a picture with my very cool 126 camera.  She handed me back my prized book, and then asked if I'd like to get my picture taken on her horse.  I could not breathe. Grandpa was the photographer, and while helped me reach the stirrups, I climbed onto the beautiful chestnut mare.  She stood there beside the horse and we all smiled as Grandpa took the picture.  My first encounter with a celebrity will always have a special place in my memory.

Just as stars in the sky fade and sometimes fall, so do these stars.  Unfortunately, when a star falls, they fall hard.  I read last night that a few weeks ago, Lynn Anderson was arrested for shoplifting a Harry Potter DVD from a grocery store.  To make matters worse, she punched the police officer as they were putting her in the squad car.  As if this wasn't bad enough, a couple of weeks before the shoplifting incident, Lynn Anderson was arrested for DUI after police found her passed out in her car on the shoulder of a highway. 

I feel sorry for my one-time idol, Lynn Anderson.  This kinda bothers me.  As for the DUI, she's not the only person that has driven while under the influence; she just happened to get caught.  I'm not condoning driving while you're intoxicated - that's senseless.  There's cabs, buses, limos, and friends and family to haul you home when you shouldn't drive. I'm pretty sure she probably has driven before after she's had a few drinks, so it's not like she got caught doing something that she'd never done before, like murdering her husband or robbing a convenient store at gunpoint.  The DUI arrest really didn't get too much of a reaction from me.  But her shoplifting a Harry Potter DVD at the grocery store was the part that really bothered me.  A country star, with a room full of prestigious awards and gold records, has stooped to shoplifting a Harry Potter DVD. Maybe I would have taken this better had she shoplifted a 3 carat diamond ring.