My People

I’m quite excited to bring this post to you as I’ve been working on it in my mind all day.  It’s for a blog hop that Lena over at Mom To Memphis and Ruby is hosting.  The prompt asks you the 10 people you would most like to meet.  At first, I didn’t think I would be able to come up with ten, but as I thought of new people throughout the day, the hardest part was narrowing it down to ten!  So without further delay, here we go.

Frank McCourt

In multiple ways, Frank McCourt (a man I never had the pleasure of meeting) is responsible for where I am today in my life.  I decided to go to graduate school because of him.  When I was working in advertising, I started reading Angela’s Ashes on my lunch break, and I was struck by how much he went through to come to the US and live out his dream.  It reminded me that my ancestors did the same thing, and here I was wasting my opportunities in a career that I didn’t find fulfilling.  And he’s responsible for both my choice of major in grad school as well as my decision to try my hand at writing because his writing style is so prolific and poetic that you can’t help but fall in love with the written word.  Plus, his memoir, Teacher Man, is one of the best teacher stories I have ever read.

Dr Jill Biden

Okay, so perhaps this is an odd choice, but I really like her.  Her taste in men might be a bit odd, but she is my career idol.  She has her doctorate and teaches developmental English at the college level.  This was the job I held before having kids.  I have not yet earned my doctorate as I stopped at my masters, but once the kiddos are a bit older, I plan on going back.  In the meantime, I will live vicariously through her.  I really respect the way she speaks of her career and the insight she provides into her role as teacher.

Taylor Swift

Up until about a year ago, this space in my list would have been occupied by Garth Brooks, and should I ever happen to meet Garth in person, I surely will be ecstatic, but he has been retired for quite some time, and I guess I’m just fickle because Ms Swift has ousted him from my list.  Any person as young as she is and as talented a songwriter as she is would surely be exciting and inspiring to meet.  Plus, Magoo would be so thrilled to see the lady who sings her favorite song, “Ours.”

Victor Frankl

This Holocaust survivor, author, and founder of logos therapy has brought so much to the world.  He went through quite possibly the worst situation in world history and was able to find meaning through it.  He came up with the theory that people need a purpose in order to survive, no matter how small or limited that purpose.  When I’m feeling down or lost, I remember Man’s Search for Meaning, and I am reminded that we all have a purpose and a responsibility to find it.

Ben Franklin

In my dream world, I would definitely meet this ultimate Type A personality.  Anyone who catalogs his virtues and comes up with a systematic method towards character development could surely help me manage my schedule and ambitions!  He might not be the best person to invite to a comedy club, but he would be a great guest speaker in one of my freshman seminar courses.

Drew Barrymore

I’ve long been a fan of Drew Barrymore.  When I was in college, I had to write a feature piece on a celebrity for a journalism class, and I chose Barrymore.  Her book Little Girl Lost has been one of my favorites for a long time, and so is she.  She managed to take a very difficult and abbreviated childhood and turned it into a strength.  She proves that people can overcome their demons and come out stronger, and anytime I hear her speak, she reminds me to seek the beauty in the world.  She’s the ultimate cornball, and since I’m probably second in line to that throne, I would love to be able to have coffee with her one day.

CS Lewis

There is so much of Lewis’s that I haven’t read, but what I have read keeps me yearning for more.  Mere Christianity helped change my view of faith and helped me bring it to a more mature level.  I particularly like how he bypasses denomination (in Mere Christianity) and discusses Christianity in general.  So many people are intent on focusing on the differences in the various segments of Christianity that it was nice to read something that talked about what we all have in common.  Next on my list is The Screwtape Letters.  By the way, Lewis must not have been a very photo friendly guy as no matter how hard I looked, I could not find a single non-copyrighted image of him, so I hope a photo of his statue will suffice.

Mayim Bialik

Okay, so Blossom is probably a really odd choice, especially because in her television show, I much preferred Six or her brothers (ahh Joey Lawrence) to her, but she sounds like a very interesting mama.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not interested in elimination training or any of the more extreme aspects of Attachment Parenting, but I bet she would have a lot to say about the relationship between mothers and their children, and I would like to hear her out.  Plus, she’s a neuroscientist, and that’s just really cool in my book.

Martin Luther King

The only person in history, in my opinion, who rivals and possibly surpasses McCourt in eloquence.  There is very little he writes that doesn’t touch me personally, and his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” is perhaps one of the most thought provoking and eloquent pieces ever written.  How often could his words from St Louis apply to nearly any segment on the evening news, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

Not Jesus

Okay, so “not Jesus” really isn’t a person, but I felt compelled to include it anyway.  As a Catholic, you would think that surely I would include Jesus, and even if I weren’t religious, you would think that the most influential figure in world history would make my list.  But He doesn’t.  Sure, I would think it would be helpful to speak to him and ask him what happens after life and whether I will go to Heaven and all of those questions that weigh on people’s minds.  But to meet him in person seems like it would be cheating.  I think we are all meant to know Jesus through prayer and contemplation, but if we met him face to face, then it seems like the mystery and splendor of life would be lost.  Plus once you meet Jesus, what else do you have to aspire to?

And so after writing this list, I’m reminded of how weird I am.  But oh well, might as well own it 🙂  Who would you meet if you could meet anyone?  Reply in my comments and if you have a blog, head over to the blog hop and share your posts.  Also, please make sure to check out Many Little Blessings and her top ten list blog hop!