Betty White, aka "The Golden Girl," left us on December 31st, 2021. Although Betty White was 99 years old, the culture was preparing to celebrate Betty White's 100th birthday. White's career spans over seven decades. She's brought laughter to my great great grandmother, grandmother, mom, and me by playing the role of Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls. White's character Rose stories of St. Olaf brought laughter during serious scenes of the show.
While watching TV Land's tribute to Betty White with the Golden Girls Marathon, a thought came to my mind that as a culture, we have been giving Betty White her flowers long before the tributes that were posted after the announcement of her death.
As you scroll through social media, you will see Betty White on every platform with actors, singers, rappers, comedians, and late-night talk show hosts. We acknowledged Betty White while she was here, and we provided space for her, rather it was the petition for her to host Saturday Night Live or the Twitter post requesting security for her upcoming 100th birthday. We kept Betty White in our conversations. I hope we continue to keep Betty White in our conversation. Not the conversation of "Betty White would have been 100 years old on January 17th," but the conversation of "look at what Betty White did during the 99 years she was here."
I will continue to do my nightly ritual of watching The Golden Girls before bed, knowing that the whole cast is together eating a heavenly slice of cheesecake and celebrating each other.
