Ben Cartwright is a true American Hero; at least in terms of how I define what a hero is. Actually, I think he may be the last one of his kind, never mind that he is a fictional character who was played by the actor Lorne Greene.

For those of you who are too young to remember, Ben Cartwright was the main character on the television show Bonanza. The show was set in the Nevada territory in the 1860's and was filmed in color, an unusual viewing mode at that time. The decision to film in color was not a creative one by the network, NBC but a business decision by the show's sponsor, RCA, to help sell more color televisions.

Nevertheless, the show aired from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973, making it one of the longest running television shows in history. Bonanza also held the #1 Nielsen spot for three years in a row.

During its original broadcast, the production team filmed 430 episodes. Although the show airs re-runs around the world today, its popularity faded long ago.

I started watching the re-runs last summer while recovering from spinal surgery. There was something about the characters and the stories that calmed my fears about never being able to walk again.....

To read the rest of this blog, read it on The Huffington Post!