Several Wednesdays ago, Jennifer had the idea that we should start watching the show during our time together each week, because it is one of her favorites, but also because it's light and witty, a perfect escape. It's been hard for me to find shows or movies that won't hurt me in places, that are predictable enough to ease my fear of getting blindsided by storylines of suicide, violence, or tragic loss. Anything too sad or dramatic also seems to be wrong as a mood-lifter.
Jennifer brought over the Gilmore Girls one day and we've been watching ever since.
My time with my friend is sacred to me, as is the time I spend with all my friends. Wednesdays with Jennifer give me something to look forward to... something to plan on as a bright spot in my week... and it's a comfort to know that the Gilmore Girls are there with us as an escape from reality.
I can tell just how much of an escape the show is for me, because when we turn off the DVD for the evening and Jennifer goes home, I get a sinking feeling in my stomach again, like someone is whispering in my ear: "And now, back to reality."
It feels good to smile at the characters on the screen... to laugh at the antics of the plots... to lose myself in the town of Stars Hollow. I feel much the same way I always felt reading and re-reading Anne of Green Gables... there's an idyllic comfort in the Gilmore Girls and Stars Hollow, like a modern day Avonlea.
That's the thing about the show - it's like a place. You're there. Home. Happy. Invested. Content.
What makes the escape better is being able to share it with my friend. Actually, my friend is sharing it with me. I often feel like she wrote me a prescription for grief and it said "at least one dose of the Gilmore Girls one time per week."
It seems funny to credit a TV show with healing powers... but I do feel like my heart hurts less when I watch it.
Today, we held a mini-marathon, in a way we can't do on a Wednesday night after working all day, and finished the first season. She'll be back on Wednesday to begin Season 2. My heart already looks forward to hurting less.
Dearest Arielle,
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree. Gilmore Girls is healing in an unusual and powerful way. During my time battling my eating disorder and trying to escape from the grief in my life, Gilmore Girls was exactly how you described: like coming back to the comfort of home. While it was an escape for me, the positive messages I received from the show stayed with me through the pain of reality and it brought a bit more light into the darkness. I hope it does the same for you.
Much love,
Gloria K.
Hi Arielle,
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your circumstances, but I'm glad you are able to find solace in this wonderful show. When the show first came out in 2000, I was going through depression and this show saved me. I found it endearing, charming, funny, and uplifting. I consumed myself with it for years - watching it constantly, posting on blogs with other fans, writing fanfiction - to help distract me from the life I was trying to escape. GG became my life until I was able to move past that phase of depression. Just last year, when I felt myself entering yet another depressive phase, I turned to the one thing that had helped me before. I'm now rewatching episodes, writing stories, posting with the few active fans that I can find online - it is indeed a healer, and I'm glad you have found comfort in it like I have for the past 14 years.
All the best.