30/30: A Table For 10

Today's 30/30 Vision Blog Challenge prompt is a classic- 10 people, living or dead, that I would like to have dinner with today. This is a time honored question, and I will attempt to do it justice. I have chosen to include only people I have never actually met. And I have to remember, it's not just about who I would like to spend time with, but how they would interact together. We do NOT want a repeat of the Griswold family Christmas dinner! Marilyn and Will would be there, of course, but they don't take up any of the invitations. There are just so many choices...but here we go!

1. Jesus - An obvious choice I know, but I would love to sit and talk with my LORD and savior for a couple of hours and see what we know that is truth and what are the things we just think we know. It would be amazing. Plus, if we ever run out of wine...he's our man!
2. John Lennon - He could talk about the Beatles, the rotten state of music today, the 60s peace movement, explain the deal with Yoko, clear up the Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds/LSD debate and make peace with Jesus about who was really more popular in 1966.
3. Gilda Radner - Maybe my favorite all-time SNL cast member and from all reports one of the sweetest, funniest women who ever lived. So many things I'd love to ask her, but it would be worth the invite just to hear her do a little Emily Litella or Roseanne Roseannadanna. 
4. David Letterman - He could ask all the right questions and keep the conversation flowing. And also, just because. He's Dave!
5. Jennifer Aniston - Do I really have to explain this one? It is my dinner party after all. And if she turns down the invite her chair could be filled by my very first celebrity crush, Olivia Newton-John. :)
6. Gandhi - I'd love to pick his brain about our current world and how we do more to work for peace, both in relationships and in world politics. He and Jesus could talk about their frustration over the behavior of modern Christians. And I think he and Lennon might break into Give Peace a Chance...
7. Neil Patrick Harris - NPH could delight us with stories of Broadway, Doogie Howser and my current favorite TV show all time, How I Met Your Mother! Plus if things got slow the dude can really sing and dance!
8. Brian Wilson - The musical genius behind the Beach Boys is someone I have always wanted to spend time with. So many stories, so many people he met along the way. And the music. I have so many questions about the music. I think Brian is still a vegetarian, so we'd have to plan the menu accordingly. But I'm certain he would accompany Lennon and Gandhi on the piano. I feel a celebrity jam session coming on.
9. Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr. - Another person I know would who have such interesting thoughts on the state of our world today, particularly in the area of race relations and non-violence. Plus I could sit and talk about the 60s for hours. And can you imagine a forum on pacifism with him, Jesus, Gandhi and Lennon? Wow...
10. Bill & Hillary Clinton - OK, so I cheated and invited 11. You aren't really surprised, are you? I am not a fan of politicians in general, but President Clinton is the only politician in recent history who actually makes me WANT to listen to what he has to say- a brilliant speaker who offers real insight into the world. Plus he could play saxophone in the jam session. Hillary is so unique. She's a woman of great power and prestige who has also survived so many trials and tribulations in her life. I want the both of them because I think they offer an unique perspective on the dynamics of not only world current events, but also on relationships. They may understand "for better or for worse" better than any couple alive.

So that's my list. George Fox, the original Quaker, would have made the list but he would have just made everyone else uncomfortable. A very intense fellow and prone to 2 hour sermons. I would have loved to invite Bill Murray, but from what I hear he would have never sent in his RSVP. Steve Martin would also be high on my list because he is such a Renaissance man, but his banjo playing might drown out the conversation. One weird choice I seriously considered? Eva Braun. What was it like being married to Hitler? But I'm happy with my list. Everyone's is different. I'd love to hear yours.

And the menu? I would leave that up to my good friend Teresa Reep Tysinger. She's a great chef, knows how to vary a menu and keep it healthy, and would make certain there was something amazing for dessert. Plus if I had NPH to dinner and didn't invite her I'd be a dead man! So that's the deal. Let's eat!!!