Life is hard. It’ll wear you down. No, that’s not the millennial in me nor the lack of caffeine talking—it’s a damn fact. When I was in high school, one of my teachers presented the question: Would you rather live naively and be happy, or know the truth and be cynical? The 17-year-old me immediately chose naive and happy, I didn’t even flinch. At 25, though, I continue to kick this question around in my brain. So when I met Melora Hardin, a smart, successful, vibrant woman that I admire, I needed her input. Maybe it would sway me one way or the other. (And this is before I knew her stance on superficial red carpet Q’s. Brushing that shoulder off, baby.)
In my eyes, Melora seems to have it all.
A successful, continuously thriving career, a longstanding, happy marriage, two adorable young daughters. Most of the things I could ever want in life, honestly. So allowing her to take a retrospective look at her life through the lens of this specific question was fascinating.
The actress, who earned an Emmy nomination for her role in Transparent this year, admits that at a younger age, she thought, “I would like to just be a simpleminded person, who didn’t have a lot of desires, ambition.”
Why? “It’d be so much easier.”
Ain’t that the truth. But as Melora points out, would that life be richer? Or of more value? I don’t think it would be, but that’s my opinion. As rough as life as hit me so far, I wouldn’t change any of it. It pushed me, gave me drive, allowed me to overcome and achieve, and continues to shape me. I think Melora would agree.
Check out the video for more of Melora’s thoughts. And by the way, you can be an educated, driven, person, and although there may be hardships and hurt, if you can endure all of it and still have this smile?
You’ll be alright.
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