When a great TV, book, or movie character comes along, it’s hard not to think about what our lives would be like if we followed a path similar to the one they took. As a college student thinking about future career and lifestyle choices, I keep asking myself, do I want to be a Leslie Knope, or an Olivia Pope? Leslie Knope of Parks and Recreation and Olivia Pope of Scandal share a deep love for their work. Otherwise, the two women are vastly different.
Olivia Pope is a “fixer” in Washington D.C., a profession which could be described as a combination of PR and law. Whether a politician or regular Joe is under scrutiny, she is always able to fix the situation. I admire her because she is the best in her field. Her fellow employees are people she has “fixed” and has given a second chance. She puts her work above most other aspects of her life, and also happened to capture the heart of the president while she was working for his campaign. While the job involves a lot more work then play, it’s hard to deny that a having high profile job in a bustling city would be an amazing life.
Taking a look at Leslie Knope’s life, I can make a case for the opposite. A government employee in Pawnee, Indiana, Leslie is always making her job fun. She goes through her share of struggles, but ultimately loves her job and will do anything to serve her small town. She and her fellow employees are always playing pranks on each other, goofing off, and ultimately having fun while making the town of Pawnee a better place. I admire that she (somewhat) has a balance between work and play.
So, Knope or Pope? All I want in life is to love what I’m doing and who I spend my time with. I want to live in a town or city with a great atmosphere. I want to be an amazing, important figure in my occupation, but be able to let loose when the job is done. In my future endeavors, I hope to channel Olivia Pope and Leslie Knope in order to be the best I can be.
While your parents might have told you to turn off the television and go play outside back in the day, certain characters can truly be a source of inspiration. So next time you wish your life was more like Friends, make plans to visit or move to NYC after college. When you wish your life were more like Harry Potter, join the Quidditch team at school. When you wish you were in 13 going on 30, start writing, taking journalism classes, and work for one of the magazines here at OU. If you wish your life were more like a specific characters, make it that way. We don’t have writers deciding our destinies, so we each need to write our own.
***Story by Rachel Cassidy***