Angelina Jolie? Not for me.

My first reaction to "If you could be any woman of notoriety for a day, who would you be and why?" was, of course, Angelina Jolie. She hits all the notes: gorgeous, talented, intelligent, philanthropic, rich, beautiful kids, and um... oh yeah, Brad Pitt. Who doesn't want all that? Well, I thought about it for a few minutes and realized it must be so hard to be her. The pressure of public life would be one thing. The demands of being a UN ambassador would be one thing. Trying to raise six kids would be one thing. Managing a high-profile professional career as an Oscar-winning actress would be one thing. All together? Not for me.

My next thought was Elastigirl. Yes, Mrs. Incredible. And yes, because I watched The Incredibles recently. But think about it - able to stretch into any position, save lives, raise three beautiful kids with great abilities, and able to be a stay-at-home mom. I am all for gender equality, but I would never consider the housewife role beneath me. I think it would be a blessing to always be able to cook my children a healthy breakfast, receive them when they come home, help with their homework, and maintain a level of cleanliness just short of Monica Gellar. Then the difficulty hit me again - having always to pretend to be less than you are because society at large has turned against superheroes. I've always been extremely comfortable in my own skin, and above all, have learned that the key to being happy is in being myself. I could never live my life without that freedom.

It finally occurred to me that in order to answer the question posed to me I needed to look at it from a different point of view. I didn't need to figure out whose blessings or benefits I could live with, because that wouldn't narrow anything down. I can probably think of a hundred women I would like to be for 24 hours if I only look at it that way. I needed to figure out whose difficulties I could live with, whose problems I think I could handle, which dark times I could endure for 24 hours. The single woman in the world who I find the most inspiring came to mind. Knowing her story, reading her books, thinking about all she went through is nothing less than a life of miracles. Her understanding of self-worth and self-encouragement is a lesson for every human being. You're going to think I'm completely pretentious, but I'm going to throw this out there anyway: For 24 hours I would like to be Helen Keller.

Who wants to be blind, deaf, and mute? No one. But if I could be inside her mind for just one day, to experience for myself that kind of strength and determination instead of only witnessing the effects of it, I know it would drastically change my life for the better. Time wasted feeling helpless and pointless would decrease. Days gone by wondering whether there is a purpose to my life would exist no more. A deeper comprehension of humanity and how we are interconnected that can only be felt through her condition would undoubtedly enrich my life beyond words. I never will actually get this opportunity, but I will always do my best to emulate extraordinary individuals that have taught us all about what life truly means. 

-Vanessa is a blogger for The Sorbate. Check out her bio to see where her view comes from.

Related Links 

Helen Keller, The Story of My Life

Angelina Jolie Headlines, People.com

All you need to know about Elastigirl, Wikipedia