Imperfect Happiness

 I'm a big fan of Mike & Molly. Yeah sure, I've mentioned, time and again, that I'm both a film-and t.v.-buff, but this isn't just comedic appreciation. This is actually more of a glimpse. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

 Mike & Molly is an American sitcom staring comedians Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy as the tittle characters. Its a story of a police officer and an elementary school teacher who meet, fall in love and get married, all within a time-period of 2 seasons (which is usually about 20-25 episodes, but lord knows how much time elapses by then). 

 Now, many a critic have tried to break down the show and pinpoint the elements which make it so funny and appealing to the viewing audience. Is it the random elements within the script that all mix together to form a hilarious, yet plausible scenario? Is it the eloquent script writing that allows the individual actors to fully portray the characters to their limits? Is it the zany and eclectic individuals who make up the cast, like Carl (Reno Wilson), Mike's sexually-dissatisfied fellow officer, Joyce (Swoosie Kurtz), Molly's alcoholic mother, Victoria (Kathy Mixon), Molly's pot-head sister, Samuel (Nyambi Nyambi), a Senegalese waiter who caters to Mike and Carl at their favorite restaurant or Peggy (Rondi Reed), Mike's sarcastic mother? Can't speak for others, but for me, its all that and more.   

 As we come closer to the end of this year, we begin the never fun, yet all too common process of assessing how the year played out. And while some of us may be happy with it, some of us may not be. True, we should all be thankful that the world didn't end this year (take that, you apocalypse-wacky nuts), though it doesn't really suggest that the world we're left with is any better than it was before we were faced with the "threat" of the "impending doomsday" (as I type this now, I still can't keep a straight face). 

 For me, one aspect of the new years that I despise is the "new years resolution", that trite tradition where we make promises we can't keep to others and ourselves. Granted, there are a special few who can in fact maintain a certain discipline in creating and becoming the change that they desire, be it to lose weight, quit smoking, take up a hobby or discover whether or not they do have pecs. 

 Essentially, we go through all this for one purpose, to find happiness, through any means we can, be it personal transformation or discovery. But sometimes, we can lose focus on that pursuit and just desire for that right kind of happiness, whether it be plausible or even possible to get it exactly the way we want it. 

 And of course, there's that sucker-punch that we get during the year, when we discover that, 9 times outta 10, the effort we put in hasn't yielded the reward we were hoping for. Inevitably, the urge to give up comes along and we decide to just quit? And why shouldn't we? If we didn't get it right then, or if we didn't get it the way we wanted to, then why should we assume we'll get it right the next time around? And even if we do, will it be exactly the way we had hoped, we had envisioned, we had desired? 

 I must confess, that last bit was a rant. But, its not one that I only make. But, as usual, I'm getting side-tracked. 

 Life's never as fair as we wish for it to be, it's never as kind as we would hope for it to be. But, the funny thing about it is, sometimes it'll throw you a life-line. 

 For me, the beauty of Mike & Molly is the fact that they are two imperfect individuals (both are over-weight, with associated mild psychological issues regarding "comfort eating ) who found love and happiness in each other. Two people who, despite their individual pain, saw and found beauty in each other that only they can see, recognize and appreciate. 

 They show the world that you don't have to be 6'2 with chiseled abs or 5'9 with diamond-cutting cheekbones to find love and happiness. Its like a virus and you can catch it when you least expect it. The best part about it is, it doesn't need to be perfect for you to be happy with whatever happiness comes your way. The flaws, the imperfections, the blemishes that come with it, these are the things that make it truly special, which make it truly yours. It becomes your own piece of imperfect happiness and that's worth more than anything.

 I guess in the end, we don't need a resolution to become better people. We shouldn't strive to achieve just one thing in order to become improved individuals. Rather, we should struggle to learn as much as we possibly can, in the time we have. Don't make resolutions, simply change your direction, choose a different path, open yourselves to the unknown and the unexplored. Perhaps, instead of searching for simply one thing, the discoveries you make along the way will be more bountiful and meaningful.

 Currently, I'm waiting on the full 3rd season of Mike & Molly, which I would rather watch in marathon-mode, as opposed to waiting weeks at a time in between episodes online. I'm interested in seeing what can happen. Regardless of the outcome, I can only wish the characters well, and hope they keep me sufficiently entertained. 

 As for me, I'll admit that it's hard. But, maybe it's supposed to be. But, there's always hope. In the end, that's what makes life worth living. The fact that no matter how dark the night gets, the sun will always come up. So, I guess I'll just be waiting on my sunshine. Hopefully though, for not much longer.

May the almighty bless the years that have passed, and may he bless the years to come. 

Happy new years, folks.