It's not too late to participate, AND you don't have to read LIKE MANDARIN to know what's going on. (But you should order it and read it, because it's fantastic.) You can click over to Kirsten Hubbard's blog to find out more, but basically, she's asking who you would have given anything to be like when you were a teenager.
You know me, I rarely follow rules. So instead of focusing on teen-Elana (cuz that's SCARY), I'm going to go for Elana-as-she-is-now.
I would give anything to be like Matthew Rush. He is funny and helpful and all around fantastic. He helps other people. He lets them learn from his mistakes. And he always emails me back.
I would give anything to be like Shannon O'Donnell. She has more enthusiasm than anyone I know. She teaches and parents and laughs and just is the epitome of "comfort" for me.
I would give anything to be like Ally Condie. She is a brilliant writer, and so, so sophisticated. The kind of sophistication I can only dream about. And eloquent. She'd never use the word "dude." (#crap) But she's super-nice to me when I do.
I would give anything to be like L.T. Elliot. She simply "gets" me, and doesn't try to make me be anyone other than who I already am. She is strong. She is funny. She is who I want to be when I grow up.
Lastly, I would give anything to be like my husband. He never gets bugged by stuff. He is a great teacher. He is caring, and kind, and patient, and he puts up with me. (He's also going to make his blogging debut next week! Get excited.) He is slow when I'm fast, right when I'm wrong, strong when I'm weak.
I hope you've been tweeting with the #IWantToBeLike hashtag! You can win a copy of LIKE MANDARIN this Saturday. And dude, your post on who you would give anything to be like, is like, the perfect twitter fodder.
Who do you admire right now in your life?
And the winner of the super shiny, tasty, luscious MANDARIN glaze lip gloss is: C.K. Bryant! Congrats, Christine! Email me, okay? Okay.
Oh, this was such a beautiful post! The people you list must feel so proud and flattered. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteHere's my post:
ReplyDeletehttp://theresamilstein.blogspot.com/2011/03/effort-to-seem-effortless.html
Today, I'd give anything to be like:
my daughter because her enthusiasm, dedication, fairness, and kindness is truly inspiring.
my son because when he is interested in a topic, he becomes a walking encyclopedia. And he's usually so kind to his little sister, it bring tears to my eyes.
J.K. Rowling because I want to create magic and enrapture readers like that.
(P.S. I agree about Shannon.)
For me it might be Magnus Carlsen, who seemingly effortlessly became the top rated chess grandmaster in the world by age 19. That kind of natural talent is incredible. He blows off his preparation to play games, then still beats the best players in the world!
ReplyDeleteYay for Like Mandarin. I'm spreading the word ;)
ReplyDeleteThere are so many people I admire in my life right now. I admire my best friend. She's been through a lot, but she's the strongest, bravest, most loyal person I know.
My CPs.
And all the writers/bloggers out there (published and unpublished) for never giving up on their dreams.
I'm sure there are more, but this is in danger of turning into an Oscar acceptance speech. LOL.
Great choices. All of them are great people.
ReplyDeleteCasey and I did ours yesterday. It was weird how alike we were as teenagers.
This is fantastic! I wish I would have thought of doing it that way... you are one creative little nugget you are!!!
ReplyDeleteFabulous!
Awww this is so sweet, Elana!
ReplyDeleteOh, that was sweet. I even started to tear up. :D
ReplyDeleteHoly crap. You just put me in the company of some really amazing peeps. I hope I can live up to it!
ReplyDeleteI went real life historical in my post, but this is way cooler, and much more relevant.
What a wonderful post! The giving and "pay it foward" atmosphere is one of the reasons I blog. You just showed a stellar example...and in that regard, I wish I were more like you.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE LOVE your comments about your hubby! made me smile
ReplyDeleteI admire my hubby right now. He's training for the full iron man race in November. 2 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26 mile run. It takes such dedication to train for an event such as that, and I admire him for that.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post today!
Awe, what a great post! Candy, Matt, and Shannon are some of my favorite people too.
ReplyDeleteOh! And Im on the #IWantToBLike ! http://creepyquerygirl.blogspot.com/2011/03/like-mandarin-non-blogfest.html
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful post. So cool that your Mandarins are fellow writers/bloggers and your husband.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I did my post on my high school Mandarin, but I also have some current Mandarins too. Love your choices!
ReplyDeleteHoly WOW! I won? I feel so special. And I LOVE lip gloss, so this is a double bonus. Thanks, Elana!!!
ReplyDeleteOh I love how you spun this to suit people in your life now! That's awesome. And....I hate to spoil this for you but you are a lot of these things - funny, powerful, an inspiration, helpful. Just saying.
ReplyDeleteI want to be like my mom. she's made of tough stuff, can get through anything and never gives up.
You're so awesome Elana - can I be you when I grow up? I posted about this too after seeing your blog. See - I want to be just like you :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, now I feel bad. I only made fun of my husband in my post. Gah! I can never let him see your post.
ReplyDeleteI think you and LiLa both did an amazing job on your Mandarin posts. Filled with heart and funnies. Quite lovely.
What a sweet post! I admire my husband's ability to let things slide, too. While something may bother me for days and days, he's moved past it in five minutes.
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely, Elana! So straightforward, honest, and generous.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree that you are already most of these things.
Right now, I admire my writer-friends: for their perseverance, their generosity, their kindness, and their humility. And I admire my kids, for their never-say-die approach to life.
Aw! That is a great list. And all those people are so cool. =)
ReplyDeleteAwesome list, Elana!
ReplyDeleteYou might want to check out my list: http://nicolezoltack.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-would-have-given-anything-to-be-like.html Just saying... :)
Yeah, teen me is super-scary. You went the smart way, Elana. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet post! (I wish I was more like Shannon, too!)
What a sweet, heartwarming post!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this!
Aw, you're too sweet! Right now, I would like to be like The Man (don't tell him though), he's the most dedicated, disciplined person I know. When he sets out to do something, he does it. I wish I had that kind of discipline...instead, I reach for cookies.
ReplyDeleteVery cool. I love this. Great examples, all of them.
ReplyDeleteHoly unexpected surprises! I just wanted to feel a little blog love before the funeral today, so of course I hopped over to see you. I'm DEFINITELY feeling the blog love now!!
ReplyDeleteElana, this is so funny, because I would wish to be more like you. You buoy us all. You hold my head up when I'm down, make me LMAO when I want to cry, and give me hope that I really CAN do this. You are such a great friend and I adore you! Thank you for this today. :-)
hi miss elana! wow i love all the blogger you said cause everyone of them has been soooo nice to me and make my life way lots happier. this is a really cool post for sure.
ReplyDelete...hugs from lenny
Ally Condie is all of those things for sure. She's super humble, ultra nice, and classes up classy. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there are words of gratitude in any language expressive enough for how thankful I feel to know that YOU know I love you just the way you are. And if I don't have words for that, you can be sure I'm speechless for the other.
What I can say? I love ya. *hugs and hugs*
Aw, what an awesome post!
ReplyDeleteI want to be as dedicated and creative as Jane Yolen and I want to be as classy and kind as Laurie Halse Anderson.
And I blogged!
Blogging about Like Mandarin (and who I wanted most to be as a teenager)
I admire so many people and have so many wonderful friends thanks to the writing community that I couldn't possibly pick one! Yourself included! Each of you picks me up and keeps me going.
ReplyDeleteUmmmmm wow....
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's the preggo hormones (probably), but I did not expect you to say my name and I'm totally blubbering now.
If anything, my sweet, I want to be like you. Every part of your journey inspires and motivates me. You're beautiful inside and out and I can literally feel your smile through the screen.
Thank you for saying me. It is 1000% right back at ya.
BIG HUGS.
I would have given a lot to be like Roger Zelazny when I first started writing. Few know him now, but he taught me that prose could be lyrical without flowery and boring. That whispers of myth are in our very own daily world if we but listen to them.
ReplyDeleteI decided I could only be a second rate copy but I could, with work, be a first class me.
You did a fine job here on this post, Elana -- Roland
Love your post! I'm going shallow this time...
ReplyDeleteI wish I could be like Sookie on True Blood. For obvious reasons.
That is all.
Cute! Lots of awesome people in your life, I see. :)
ReplyDeleteAh, it's so awesome that you gushed about some bloggers you love! I follow almost every one of them and they all have such great voices in the blogosphere. :) Awesome post!
ReplyDeleteOh, and I always kinda wished I was a bit more like Lorelei Gilmore.
ReplyDeleteAw, this is beautiful, Elana. ((hugs))
ReplyDeleteI love this, E!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how to play this game...I'd really like to be like a lot of people, but I have a hard enough time being myself.
I think I'll work on that for now.
I wish I could be more like Jillian Michaels. Not just the whole working-out-like-crazy part, but i'd love to have her confidence and positive attitude. She really believes that anything is possible. :)
ReplyDelete