SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
Okay, you've been warned! ;)
On Saturday morning, I brewed my coffee, turned on Netflix and entered a Gilmore Girl vortex that I didn't emerge from until the entire revival series was complete. This had been my plan all along, but little did I know that I would come away with my jaw dropped and more questions than answers.
How could they do this to us!? I had decided that I was #teamjess, but they didn't give us any closure on who she would end up with. Sure, they alluded that Jess still had feelings for Rory, but in the end, the only thing we got was a shocking pregnancy announcement. That was it!
This girl likes cheesy, predictable, and fully wrapped-up. But Palladino decided to leave us wanting more instead. Which is fine, I guess. But gosh it's driving me nutsy!
The Thing About Me
When I watch a show, I get way more involved in the story line than most people do. When something stressful is happening, I will actually get stressed out myself and not stop worrying about it until it's resolved. And when I say "stressed out", I mean that I am so stressed that it's almost as if these things are actually happening to me. If a beloved character dies or leaves, I get extrememly sad; I don't just cry right then and move on. Instead, three months from now when someone mentions that character's demise, I will get sad all over again (*cough, cough* Looking at you, The Walking Dead!).I have been like this with shows for as long as a can remember. I feel like maybe it's a combination of my OCD and my love for fiction working together, but that's just my guess.
But as I watched the GG revival, I realized something disturbing about myself- I had not had concern or prayed for anyone's REAL LIFE needs in quite a few days, yet here I was crying and stressing and freaking out over the misfortunes and bad decisions of a fictional character.
It was humbling and hard to swallow. I was legitimately showing more care for a Netflix series-good as it was- than I was for anyone else. There were (and are) fires in Western North Carolina that are over-taking the forests. There were multiple sick people I should have been praying for and checking on. But I chose not to pay those things any attention.
Don't Toss Out the Baby with the Bath Water
I believe in resting. I believe in giving ourselves time to relax. And I believe in letting ourselves enjoy TV, books, art, or whatever it is that we enjoy. I don't feel guilty for watching Gilmore Girls and I would do it all over again. It was really good, exciting, and funny and I'm glad I took the time to watch. But I do think that the self-revelation I had in the middle of my binge-watching session is something that needs addressing. Improvements are absolutely necessary.You see, I want to be a person who treats people well, puts others above myself, and live my life for God. But if I am so consumed with fiction that I cannot live well in reality, it's time to set more boundaries! I need to:
1.) Limit the amount of time I spend doing leisurely things. Leisure is good but it should be a treat- not a 24/7 indulgence
2.) Be aware of when I become overly invested.
3.) Re-focus that energy on something that really matters (family, housework, God, etc.)
The Point
Friends, my point is not to say that you shouldn't watch Netflix. In fact, Netflix is one of my favorite luxuries! And my point is not to say that the Gilmore Girls revival sucks- because it was really good! I simply hope that my self-realization will inspire you to think more deeply about the root of your actions. Sometimes we don't really think through what we are doing, but we would be better off if we did!
I love your honesty and vulnerability in this post! I totally know what you mean about getting involved and emotionally invested in fictional character's lives, and then not necessarily doing so with our real friends in real life! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI can get so wrapped up in fictional stories as well! This is a great reminder that we need to make sure we're pulling ourselves out of a fictional world and make sure we're tending to the actual world as well.
ReplyDeletehaha I watch tv like you do - get wayyy to overly involved -- then i spend hours talking about it all with my husband as if these people are real. It's so cool that you realized how to better yourself from it. I think it's okay if you enjoy some leisure time though and have a selfish day :-) I get so consumed with fiction that I forget about reality, but thats been my coping mechanism since I was 4 haha so I am okay with that not changing anytime soon... but its an important reminder to help others and think of others.
ReplyDeleteRachel | The Confused Millennial
I too was overly excited for this Gilmore reunion, I loved the original series and thought it was one of the top 10 best shows every written. Although I enjoyed revisiting Stars Hollow, I was overall disappointed. Mostly with Rory, I do not feel her character was at all who we all believed she was. The no direction and life choices were not true to the original character. There was so much more that could have been done with the revival, so much more they could have done with the loss of Richard and the relationship between Emily and Lorelai. I could go on but I will stop here and say I enjoyed your post very much and thank you for sharing your thoughts! xoxo Mickey
ReplyDeleteIt's good to be aware of when we need to make changes! Good job, girly!
ReplyDeletehaha. I am in the same boat. I was hoping it would be a feel good, wrapped up revival. I cried and laughed and loved it, but was frustrated at times too!
ReplyDeleteI've come to a similar revelation myself, and it was quite the rude awakening. But I agree that reality always needs to trump fiction - even for us fiction-lovers!
ReplyDelete