I have a shrine on my door dedicated to the inventors of Fight Milk, Charlie Kelly and Mac. Anyone who knows me well enough can attest to the fact that I have a slight obsession with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Sometimes, it’s as if my entire life is a reference to the show.
As much as I love the show, I have Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day taped to my door because they inspire me. I’m a Charlie Day enthusiast. When I listened to his commencement speech at his alma mater, it made me think differently about my philosophies and the show in general. He asserts that he bet on himself when he agreed to do Always Sunny with Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton and that he’s glad that he did. His big break, he told the graduates, was one he created for himself. Although I’m not an aspiring actress or even pursuing a creative field, I think about Charlie Day’s words a lot. He concludes his speech by telling the graduates to do what makes them great, not just what they love.
I have loved writing for as long as I remember. I spent my entire high school career telling others I would be an English major when I went to college. My passion for photography predates high school and I have taken up other creative outlets as years have passed, like music and film. I love all of those artistic disciplines, but I decided to pursue political science. Sometimes, I wonder if I made the right choice. Although my true passion is writing, my dedication to political science is what makes me great. When I heard Charlie Day’s speech, it reaffirmed what I thought when I declared my major; I have to do what makes me great. I may not know exactly what my career will entail, but I know I will be great in fighting for issues that are important to me and allowing individuals’ voices to be heard on a legislative level.
Rob McElhenney is taped to my door because he also inspires me. The Always Sunny characters may be terrible people, but the ones who portray and write them have proven themselves to be wonderful. McElhenney wrote the first episode and Always Sunny is his brainchild. With twelve seasons under their belt, they still reign as one of the most popular shows in the United States. McElhenney, Day and Glenn Howerton (Dennis) believed in themselves and what makes them great. And from it, they created a TV show that I’ve spent a large portion of myself watching.
In an interview with Kaitlin Olson (Dee), she said that one of her favorite things she admires about her husband (McElhenney) is his ability to be true to himself, even when others do not like it. She said that she has struggled with that very principle -- and so have I. Although I am comfortable with who I am, proud of my major and acknowledge and take pride in that I’m very weird, I am sometimes still very shy. When I’m afraid others might not like who I am, I go quiet. Yet I’d like to improve that characteristic about myself. I want to be like Rob McElhenney; I want to be myself even when I know others don’t like it.
Among my goals for 2017 is to embrace how weird I am, like two of my biggest inspirations, McElhenney and Day, have done for years. I want to be myself, even if others don’t like it. I want to be less shy. Most importantly, I want to drink more Fight Milk so I can fight like a crow and a bodyguard.
