Looking for a little writing inspiration, I pulled up my Pinterest account and perused a Mindy Kaling style feed. I love Mindy Kaling – she’s a strong, hilarious, fun, independent woman who is a kick-ass writer! I loved her in The Office, and I love her in The Mindy Project. So much so, that now I’m looking to join Hulu just to watch each episode whenever, wherever I want – even though I already pay $160 for my cable and Internet each month! When did the price of entertainment get so high!?
During this perusing, I stumbled upon a “What actress would play you in the movie version of your life?” quiz. Obviously, the title of this blog speaks to the quiz results. So, why do I think Mindy Kaling would (or should) play me in a movie version of my life?
Here are My Top 5 Reasons:
1) Because this quiz said so – and who is to argue with a Buzzfeed.com quiz!
2) We’re both “smart, outspoken, hilarious…” at least that is what Monica Corcoran Harel writes (about Mindy, obviously not me) in Good Housekeeping‘s profile, “Mindy Kaling: My Mom was my Soulmate.” On set, I bet we’d laugh and cut up so badly people would give us weird stares. I would borrow her kick-ass clothes and shoes (Mindy, are you a size 7?), while she would enjoy driving like a bat out of hell in my beat-up Altima – throwing caution to the wind, she can live out any race car driver fantasies!
3) Because I pre-ordered her new book, Why Not Me? And devoured her bestseller, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? in a day. For that type of loyalty and love, Mindy Kaling owes me … right? 🙂 On the other hand, I’m not broke, so I’d be able to pay her a nice salary for playing a “Sweet Home Alabama” Reese Witherspoon-esque go-to Louisiana girl who gives sassy yet sage advice, drinks too much wine and French 75s on a Thursday (Friday or Saturday) night, loves a cross-country adventure on a stinky, old train through the European countryside and also enjoys lounging on the back porch in yoga pants, sports bra and ratty tee – no workout required – while, you guessed it, drinking yet another glass of wine.
4) We both have mad respect and deep love for our mothers. Growing up, my mom stayed at home taking care of me and my three siblings, while cleaning the house, cooking dinner for us every night and supporting my dad when he started his own business. No one without a strong will and loving heart could be a daily caregiver for my younger brother who has a mental illness (diagnosed in his late teens/early 20s), while being the constant bright smile and warm hug to my dad, myself, two sisters and six-year old nephew. She is a super hero in my eyes and I need to tell her so more often.
After reading the Good Housekeeping article (noted above) as well as a Facebook post by a friend who recently lost his father, I was left with a deep desire to understand the inner workings of my parents better … because they are getting older and I won’t always have our Sunday family lunches, hear them arguing in the kitchen about who is a better cook, see them working outside in their yard with my mom’s chi-Wini mix, Armani, barking at a squirrel in the background or attempt to have simple conversations over their way-too-loud TV swearing to my dad that he’s making us all hard-of-hearing. I hope that when I ask them questions about their dreams, philosophies and advice, they give me a piece a wisdom like Mindy’s mom: “Always be your own best friend.”
5) Mindy and I both believe that a white picket fence, a husband, two kids and a dog isn’t the life for everyone. “I don’t need marriage. I don’t need anyone to take care of all my needs and desires. I can take care of them myself now,” she states in Harel’s article. At thirty-four, I’m not married, but have a strong career focus, fantastic group of supportive friends, ride-or-die family and an old soul that enjoys a good book and quiet solitude. That is happiness to me.
However, we also value and respect our parents’ marriages. To say “I do” to someone for the rest of your life, through good and bad, sickness and in health – marriage is the greatest sacrifice. And I believe in love. My parents have been married for almost 38 years – so I’ve seen love at it’s best and it’s worst. My dad and I both agree we’ll be lost the day my mom passes – she’s the glue, the sanity in our madness and the deepest reflection of love. “I just hope I go first,” my dad whispered.
The Movie of My Life
Maybe in the movie version of my life, Mindy would challenge me to go after the passions I fought so hard against in my twenties because (my excuse) “I can’t be a real writer. I’m not any good and I need a steady income – if I gambled at a writing career, I’d struggle and … maybe never make it. I can’t live with that, so I’ll just get a regular job and look for inspiration, creativity somewhere else.” She can be the future me, in way better clothes, a new sense of confidence and writing pen in hand!
Read. Travel. Write. Inspire. 