I thought I would ask you a question this morning but before I do I would like to ask you to come sit down on the front porch with me. I have a question for you. The question comes from our What If I Was series on the blog.
Have you ever watched an old television show and thought, “Oh my goodness, that person reminds me of somebody in my family!”? Well, that is exactly where this little family challenge began.
I started wondering: If my family were characters in a classic TV show, who would each of us be? Instead of going with who I thought they would be I decided to ask ChatGPT based on what it knows about my family.
Not necessarily because we act exactly like a particular character but maybe we share their sense of humor. Or we have their work ethic or their stubborn streak. Or it could be their love of family, or their storytelling ability, or even their way of getting themselves into trouble.
So I decided to ask ChatGPT. And because I know my family pretty well, I also get to tell ChatGPT where it got it right—and where it completely missed the boat! Then, when we’re finished, you get to decide.
Welcome to Part A. Today we’re starting with David, me, and Charlie and Suzzane who is still a part of us even though she is in Heaven. I love finding out what people and even ChatGPT thinks about her.
David: “If David were a classic TV character, who would he be?” The first answer I got was Mike Brady from The Brady Bunch. I laughed. Not because I don’t love Mike Brady, but because I immediately thought, “Nope. I don’t think so.”
My answer came much faster. David is Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor from Home Improvement. And the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became. David is a hardworking, kind, caring and loving dad. He loves his family, and he loves working with his hands.
But here’s the part that really makes me think of Tim Taylor: Tools. If David could have his own garage filled with tools, cars and projects, I honestly think that would be his dream come true.
David grew up working on cars with his dad, so working on cars isn’t just a hobby for him. There’s a family history attached to it. It’s something that connects him to his dad and to the things he learned growing up. Now, he is doing the same thing with Charlie and teaching him to work on cars.
And then there’s the backyard. I can absolutely picture David as the guy standing outside grilling, talking to everybody who walks by and somehow making friends with the neighbor over the fence.
You know the scene. David is in the backyard. The neighbor is on the other side of the fence. Before long they’re talking about cars, tools, barbecue or whatever happens to be going on that day. And eventually, somebody probably has a beer in his hand.
That’s my David. Not because he’s Tim Taylor word-for-word, but because Tim Taylor represents so many of the things I see in David: family, hard work, cars, tools, friendship, humor, and that love of being outside working on something.
So, ChatGPT, I’m giving you a point for Tim Taylor. But I’m still keeping my original answer in the story because that’s part of the fun: ChatGPT started with Mike Brady. Glenda said, “Nope. Tim Taylor.” And after hearing why, ChatGPT agreed.
What do you think? If David were a classic TV character, who would you choose? Would you go with Tim Taylor? Mike Brady? Or somebody completely different?
Now, Who Would I Be? This is where things got complicated. When I asked ChatGPT who I would be, it didn’t hesitate. Clair Huxtable from The Cosby Show. And you know what? I actually understood the choice.
The Cosby Show was one of my favorite shows growing up. I loved Theo’s friend Coackroach, and I loved Theo. And Clair? She was funny, loving, outspoken, practical and capable of looking at a situation and saying:
“Okay. Stop. We’re going to figure this out.” I like that woman. She was also a lawyer, which I think is important. She represented intelligence, confidence and empowerment. She was a woman’s woman.
She took nothing off anybody. And she loved her family without a doubt. She was a great mom. So I could absolutely see why ChatGPT chose her for me. But here’s the funny part: I don’t know that I would have chosen Clair Huxtable for myself.
And that’s when this challenge got really interesting. Because ChatGPT’s answer made me start thinking: “Well, who WOULD I choose?” And then I started remembering all the women from classic television who have always made me laugh, inspired me or reminded me of pieces of myself.
And suddenly Clair wasn’t the only possibility. Not even close. Maybe I’m Flo from Alice and Mel’s Dinner. She was one of the first characters that came to mind. But then there is Lorilie from Gilmore Girls.
And oh, I could see Flo in me because se was hardworking, funny, independent and down-to-earth. And she certainly wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. There is a little bit of “Kiss my grits!” in me. Along with when pigs fly. Which I still want to see.
But there’s another reason Flo really hit home. There was a time in my life when I actually wanted to own a little restaurant. But she could also drive a 18-wheeler just like my father in law did.
I thought it would be so much fun to have a small place where I could share my down-home recipes with my customers. I could picture myself cooking, talking to people, getting to know their stories and sending them home with a good meal.
I didn’t end up running that restaurant. Instead, I ended up in advertising and blogging. But when I think about it, maybe I didn’t get quite as far away from that dream as I thought. If you think about it.
I’m still sharing stories. I’m still sharing recipes. I’m still talking to people. I’m still connecting businesses with families. I’m just doing it in a different kitchen and now my kitchen happens to be my computer.
And we can’t talk about the tv show Alice without talking about Alice or Vera. Alice and Vera weren’t like that redheaded waitress who seemed to fall in love with every man who walked through the door. Now, let me be clear: That part isn’t me!
But I absolutely loved Flo. She had personality. She was funny. She was bold. She knew who she was. And sometimes you don’t have to be exactly like a character to love them. Sometimes they just become part of your television family. Flo is definitely part of mine.
Then We Got to The Golden Girls and that’s when I realized something. Maybe ChatGPT couldn’t find one character for me because I’m the whole kit and caboodle. Let’s start with Sophia Petrillo. Oh, I can see Sophia.
Especially the storytelling. Because I can tell a story like nobody’s business. And if the story needs to go all the way back to Sicily? That’s perfectly fine with me because it makes things more fun.
We may have started talking about what happened yesterday, but by the time I’m finished, we’re going to know what happened twenty years ago, who was there, what somebody said, what somebody’s cousin did and probably what happened in Sicily before we ever got back to yesterday.
That’s Sophia. The story doesn’t necessarily begin where you think it begins. The storyteller decides where it begins. And I love that. Dorothy Is in there too.Then there’s Dorothy Zbornak.
And this one has a very personal connection. I was a school teacher. So Dorothy immediately makes sense. She was smart. She was practical. She was direct. She had a wonderful sense of humor.
And she wasn’t afraid to tell somebody when they were being ridiculous. I can definitely see that part of me. Dorothy is the part of me that says: “Okay, everybody. Let’s get this straight.”
And Then There’s Rose which I can see as well because she has this incredible ability to look at ordinary situations differently. She was sentimental, she was imaginative and she could be completely unexpected.
And she always had a story. That sounds a lot like the way I look at life because something ordinary happens and I don’t necessarily leave it ordinary. It becomes a story or a family moment which becomes a lesson. A recipe becomes a memory and a memory becomes a blog post and a conversation becomes an idea.
And suddenly something that happened in my kitchen or living room becomes something I want to share with somebody sitting on the other side of the computer. That’s my Rose side.
So Who Am I? After all of that, I think ChatGPT may have been right when it originally chose Clair Huxtable. But I don’t think Clair is the whole answer. If I had to explain myself now, I’d say:
Clair is my strength. Alice is my hard-working, down-home side. Dorothy is my teacher and my “don’t give me that nonsense” side. Sophia is my storyteller. Rose is my heart and imagination. And Flo? Well, Flo is sassy with a little bit of take no, prisoners attitude and she is just another part of me because I love her.
So perhaps the answer isn’t that I’m one classic television character. Maybe I’m a little bit of all of them. When God created me, He broke the mold. And apparently, when He was putting me together, He borrowed a few pieces from television too.
Just ask David and Charlie who says I am Lucy from the I Love Lucy Show with a little bit of Thelma and Louise thrown in. LOL If you were to ask me if that is true I would have to agree with the guys. What do you think?
Now we get to Charlie and I have to admit, I laughed when ChatGPT gave me its answer of Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties. At first I thought: Really? But then I started thinking about it.
And I started seeing it. Alex P. Keaton loved money. Charlie loves money. In fact, Charlie can squeeze a penny tighter than anybody I know. Alex did things his own way. Charlie does things his own way.
Alex had strong opinions. Charlie has strong opinions. Alex was serious about certain things. Charlie can be very serious about the things that matter to him. And there was another funny connection.
Alex P. Keaton was famously obsessed with Richard Nixon. Charlie? Not exactly a politics guy. So that’s where ChatGPT definitely lost me. But the personality comparison still works.
Alex had his own thoughts. He wasn’t interested in simply following everybody else. And Charlie is very much the same way. Then I started thinking about the softer side of Alex. He loved his little brother. And Charlie has always had a soft spot for little kids.
Alex also had his own experiences with young love that didn’t always work out. And Charlie has had some of those experiences too. So while I wouldn’t have immediately picked Alex P. Keaton for Charlie, the more I thought about it, the more I could see it.
If I was to pick a character from this show for Charlie I would have picked Nick. And that’s exactly what I wanted this challenge to do. Make us think. Not just give us an obvious answer.Now It’s Your Turn!
And that’s where I want to leave Part A. I’ve told you what ChatGPT thinks. I’ve told you what I think. Now I want to know what you think. If David were a classic TV character, who would he be?
If Glenda were a classic TV character, who would she be? If Charlie were a classic TV character, who would he be? And don’t feel like you have to pick just one. Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you’re the whole kit and caboodle.
Maybe you’re a little Clair, a little Alice, a little Dorothy, a little Sophia, a little Rose—and maybe even a little Flo just because you love her. That’s the beauty of television. Sometimes a character becomes part of who we are without us even realizing it
There’s one more person I have to mention before I close this first part. Dolly Parton. Yesterday, August 25, 2026, Dolly Parton died at the age of 80. Her representatives confirmed that she had passed away after a brief battle with cancer.
And I can’t talk about turning 80 without thinking about Dolly. She celebrated her 80th birthday earlier this year, on January 19, 2026. Tennessee even declared it Dolly Parton Day.
Dolly was still dreaming. Still creating. Still working. Still talking about the things she wanted to accomplish. She had spent more than six decades creating music, movies, businesses, books, opportunities and memories for other people.
She built an enormous legacy, but somehow she never stopped being the woman from Tennessee who remembered where she came from. And when I say I want to live to 80 and go out of this world kicking and screaming, I mean I want to be like Dolly in one very important way:
I don’t want to stop living just because I’ve reached a certain number. I want to keep creating. I want to keep dreaming. I want to keep writing. I want to keep laughing. I want to keep sharing stories.
I want to keep sitting on this front porch talking to people. And when the time comes, I want people to be able to say: “She sure lived.” That’s the legacy I want. Not perfection. Not fame.
Just a life full of people, stories, laughter, love, hard work, memories and a whole lot of heart. And maybe a few classic television characters mixed in along the way. So come sit down with me on the front porch.
Who do you think I am? And more importantly… Who do you think YOU are? Because Part B is coming. And next, we’re going to figure out Gerald, Debbie and Renee. I have a feeling we’re going to have some fun with those three. Then we move on to the dogs and end with our entire family as a classic tv show.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
