A thought on making your own luck

“I’ve always been in the right place and time. Of course, I steered myself there.”
— Bob Hope

This quote, taken from comedian Bob Hope’s memoir Don’t Shoot, It’s Always Me, speaks to working hard and keeping your eyes out for a good opportunity. Making your own luck, as it were.

I took this photo — of a bronze sculpture of Hope performing in front of an old-timey microphone — in San Diego during a visit there in 2011. It’s a city filled with public art, and there is also a huge navy presence, so it was not surprising to see both combine in a war memorial. You can find it near the USS Midway Museum.

Called A National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military, the memorial shows Hope handling a USO performance … something he did for decades. Nonpartisan but patriotic, Hope always made sure that the folks in uniform knew he was on their side, with jokes that ribbed the gripes that they had in service, including the bureaucracies and frustrations of military life.

The memorial features life-size statues of uniformed service people, with their garb reflecting the different eras — the Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam, all the way to the Gulf War — when Hope travelled to raise morale.

It was a little odd to see anachronisms placed next together, until it dawned on: the memorial defies moments in time to reflect something bigger on what Hope meant to so many.

As a Canadian, I’m sure I didn’t have the reactions and emotions that many Americans might have.

To me, Hope was that often corny comedian from TV; I was too young growing up to appreciate what a good performer he was. I had a good appreciation of his talent when I discovered this memorial when I was in my mid-40s.

At this moment in history, sentiment about Americans in my country is not running particularly high, largely because of one provocation after another from Donald Trump.

Looking at this visit almost 15 years later, I’m reflecting on how public art brought people together, finding common ground through comedy.