One of the reasons that I am so dearly in love with the city of Edinburgh is that the inspiring, incomparable and extraordinary JK Rowling - one of my two greatest heroines (the other being the wonderful Tina Fey) - calls the historic city home. In fact, my uncle just today told me about how one of his clients is landscaping her enormous property, just minutes from the city. The reminder of her current proximity to me both excited and pained me; I keep secretly hoping that I will spot her strolling through Edinburgh's famed streets, grabbing a coffee from one of the many charming and inviting shops overlooking the Castle or Princes Street Gardens, sights which likely inspired some of her literary genius. One coffee shop in particular is globally renowned as being the place where Jo penned a great deal of 'Harry and Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', when she was a single mother living in a dinghy flat, surviving on benefits and suffering from the plaguing fog of depression that haunted her for many years (and is said to be the inspiration behind Dementors). That is one of the things so admirable and impressive about Jo, she has an uncanny knack to turn any aspect of life into a fantastical aspect of a world figmented completely in her mind. Khahil Gibran stated that "the most massive characters are seared with scars"; and this certainly rings true for Harry and no doubt his creator herself. However, what made Harry and Jo so iconic, so exemplary, was their ability to overcome such demons and literally change their respective worlds in ways wholly unprecedented.
Jo is the quintessence (feeling very Walter Mitty using that word) of who I would like to become. She used her passion and raw talent for creative writing to change her life, and subsequently the world. She singlehandedly took herself from benefits to billions. She has won numerous awards globally for her services to literature, has had the honor of giving the Harvard Commencement Address (http://youtu.be/wHGqp8lz36c), has been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, and had a massive impact, I daresay even changed, my life and the lives of countless others. When I am at home, I watch a Harry Potter film at least every two weeks (I can't even count the amount of times I have read the books). I am even known to joke that every time it rains that it is "Harry Potter and pumpkin soup weather", because the films and books bring such an instant sense of comfort, warmth and content (whether the rain is figurative or literal). She gave hope to the world, both through her storytelling and through the magical story of her own life; and all the while she has remained extremely humble and gratious regarding her tremendous success. It should also be mentioned that she gives millions to charity (usually without naming the figure) not for the publicity but because she has a genuine heart of gold and feels that she is in a position where her wealth should be used to benefit not just herself.
Needless to say, when I walked into The Elephant House on Monday I felt completely overwhelmed in knowing that part of Jo's journey began within the humble little coffee shop when she was a nobody - a recently divorced single mother surviving from government handouts. It sounds ridiculous, but there really is a magical ambience to the place. Not just magical in terms of how it's surrounds inevitably inspired everybody's favourite tale of make believe, but magical in terms of how some real life magic started there for Jo. Hundreds, if not thousands of fans have scrawled Harry Potter quotes and messages to Jo on the walls of the toilets, representing just a cluster of 'Dumbledore's Army' who have made it to The Elephant House, all of whom have had their hearts and souls touched by her imagination. Thus, as I sat drinking my mocha (all the while trying not to burst into tears and embarrass myself), my determination to make something glorious of my life only continued to flourish. I want to find a way to change the world for the better, to go down in history in a way nobody before me ever has. To be revered by writers, readers, children, parents, teachers film aficionados, feminists and incomprehensible amounts of groups the world over. To redefine the ideas and trends of a generation; to be referenced daily as a part of pop culture. I know that it is laughable of me to share such thoughts; the chances of me even achieving a smidgen of Jo's bravado are more or less nil, but hey - if she taught me anything then that is to dream. To believe in the impossible - because sometimes magic finds its way into real life.
My message to Jo (corny but I don't care).
:')
