My luckiest words?
That’s a good question, Marlo

Robyn’s ’Hood
By Robyn McCloskey

While at the library the other day, I picked up Marlo Thomas’ latest book, The Right Words at the Right Time, her second volume of an earlier book that carried the same title.
That first one offered stories from more than 100 famous people who recalled timely words that changed their lives or careers. The second book starts with the same premise, only these people are not famous, although after having read the book I feel a lot of them should be.
Not that there’s anything wrong with being famous for having accomplished absolutely nothing in life, a la Paris Hilton, Sanjaya and all the people voted off Survivor.
But wouldn’t it be nice to actually be famous for altruistic reasons? Like having the wisdom to turn someone’s life around simply by the turn of a phrase?
So I got to thinking. If Marlo ever asks me what timely words changed my life, what would I tell her? And frankly I think Marlo should ask me, especially because I’ve been a fan since the first time I saw That Girl, her sweet and silly TV sitcom from the ’60s. She was an inspiration to young girls everywhere, giving us hope that we too could live independent, carefree, fun-filled lives in the Big Apple while wearing the latest haute couture and pursuing a series of odd jobs that always miraculously paid the rent, with even a few bucks left for the dry-cleaning bill.
Marlo’s character Ann Marie had it all. How I longed for a devoted boyfriend who worked as a writer and who would stand by my side, even when I somehow get my toe stuck in a bowling ball. How I loved the way Donald Hollinger (as played by the gifted actor/director Ted Bessell, who, like actor Bill Bixby, sadly left us before his time) would look adoringly at his "crazy Ann" and just smile and shake his head no matter what kooky antics had put her in a bind.
Because they both knew that no matter what, That Girl was his girl.
It wasn’t until I grew up and made the distinction between Marlo Thomas and Ann Marie that I realized I admired the real person even more than the television character she portrayed.
How she embraced the fact that in real life she was the daughter of the great Danny Thomas. How she never once turned against him to write a tell-all book, as so many celebrity kids have done, but instead carried on his mission of raising money to support St. Jude’s Research Hospital for Children.
What a legacy to inherit: brilliant comedic timing and a passion for helping sick children and their families when they must fathom the unfathomable. And, lest we forget, how she is married to a fellow celebrity (Phil Donahue) yet never makes it to the tabloids.
So it was as I was thinking about my "right words at the right time" that I couldn’t help but think of my dad. He ironically had a knack for saying the wrong words at the wrong time, like the time he referred to my husband by the name of one of my former boyfriends — on our wedding day! Or the time we announced the impending arrival of our third child and he deflated the glee by asking, "Why don’t you just get a puppy?" (He did call later to apologize, explaining he knew that it meant another C-section and he worried by the thought of "his baby" going through that again.)
So he meant well. But every once in a while, he did come up with just the right thing to say at just the right time.
Whenever I sought his advice while debating a decision, he’d look at me and say, "Just ask yourself what’s the worst that can happen, and if you can live with that — then go for it."
Sadly, my dad no longer is here to give me that sage advice, but it’s his voice and those words I hear whenever I have a hard decision to make. It still gives me the strength to "go for it."
And now that you know my "right words at the right time," I would love to know yours. I’ll pass them on to Marlo, just in case she’s thinking about a third edition. ••
Robyn McCloskey’s column appears each week in the Northeast Times. She can be reached at crmccloskey@verizon.net