Mindy Kaling is celebrating her birthday, crediting her two kids for keeping her present and healthy these days.
The former "The Mindy Project" star took to Instagram on her birthday June 24 to share a photo of her two kids walking and rolling suitcases, writing that she's "the healthiest I've been in years."
"Look I know I’m clearly materialistic but the best birthday gift to me, for the rest of my life, are these two guys," she wrote. "I was never a 'kid' person. When my mom passed though, it just clicked in me: I wanted kids with such intense certainty. I bet some of you can relate."
In the sweet caption, she also opened up about how her children — Katherine, 5, and Spencer, 2 — inspire her to "stay healthy."
"Now I’m just trying to be present for them (hard for me! I’m impatient!), being up for anything (again hard for me, I am not whimsical!), and stay healthy for these two guys (ALSO hard! I just want to eat cheesesteaks every meal in front of the TV) for until I’m an old gray skeleton they’re like 'mom, you gotta go.'"
"My doctor told me that this year I was the healthiest I’ve been in years," she continued. "That’s a pretty damn good gift, right?"
The new 44-year-old wrote that she's typically "low-level anxious," but wanted to say on her birthday that now, she considers herself "happy."
"Man, there are ups and downs in this life!! But my ups seem to be the most important ones right now. Thanks for my birthday love. (Also maybe I will buy myself that trendy Dior bag that looks like a kidney bean)," she wrote.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who stars in Kaling's creation "Never Have I Ever," wished her friend a happy birthday, writing, "I'm happy that you’re feeling pretty damn happy on your birthday! Here’s to more and more ups!"
"This is such a precious photo! Enjoy your birthday dear. Kids are a gift and so are you!!" "Top Chef's" Padma Lakshmi commented with a plethora of red hearts.
John Legend wrote, "Happy Birthday!"
The actor and writer has been open about the impact her children have on her life, saying in a 2022 interview that the little ones provide easy cardio.
“People are always saying, like, ‘I stay fit by running after my kids!’ I’m not gonna go that far, but I will say, my daughter’s always like, ‘You play the bad guy and I’ll play the good guy and you chase me around the backyard!’” she said at the time. “I wouldn’t just depend on that as a workout, but that’s a good 15 minutes a day!”
