Image Courtesy Fox
My cousin and I have bonded over humor for over twelve years. Recently, I even found out that we’re both fans of The Mindy Project, a delightfully quirky show created by and starring comedian and actress Mindy Kaling. Though we’re best friends and related, my cousin and I are actually very different. She’s more of an extrovert than I am, but our personalities have always complemented each other. Luckily, our ability to make each other laugh has served us very well during many family occasions and holiday dinners.
On the night of The Mindy Project’s season premiere, I proposed to my cousin a new weekly ritual combining some of my favorite things – best friendship, female-driven comedies and wine. I quickly grabbed a bottle of Merlot, packed an overnight bag and headed over to her apartment to watch the newest episode.
That night, we finished the whole bottle of wine between the two of us. Our evening had a celebratory feeling to it, but it wasn’t just because we were excited about a new episode of The Mindy Project (although we really were) or because the wine was particularly good (it was). It had actually been a long time since we spent hours alone, entertaining each other and generating the kind of laughter we used get drunk on before we could drink.
Throughout our friendship, we’ve managed to stay close despite living in separate states and pursuing different circles of friends, relationships and career paths. As kids, it was usually only circumstance that kept us apart. Lately, though, we’ve both been making concrete steps toward shaping our respective futures and our lives have never felt busier.
But Mindy and Wine Night gives us the ability to cut loose and celebrate each other and our freedom, as adults, to make our life choices. The great thing about best friendship is that – unlike wine and The Mindy Project – it doesn’t improve with age because it doesn’t need to. If the friendship is true, it’ll either adjust – or it won’t. In my case, it has.
Jackie Anzaroot is the social media manager at swimsuitsforall.com. She is a graduate of Brooklyn College with degrees in English and Linguistics. She has held internships at Simon & Schuster and the Jewish Book Council.
