It's 2:30 am on the morning of Christmas Eve. Festivus is over (many grievances were aired) and our house is silent. I just finished the last episode of Friends--only a decade later than most. I've always thought that TV shows are crafted to be generally appealing. Yet, Friends was something so much more: it was real; it was authentic.
Sure--the Friends story never really happened. It wasn't some home video and, yes, every episode may have scripted. What's magical, though, is how close to home the content hits. Every episode seemed to depict a progression that was both relatable as well as familiar. Every character had his or her mannerisms, their quirks, that individualized his or herself. Every character seemed like a true friend.
How often did you think to yourself, "wow, Rachel reminds me of that awesome aunt of mine" or "Chandler's jokes might just be as bad as my dad's." If you're like me, it was all the time. One of my biggest draws to the show was how I could honestly see myself in practically any one of the episodes. They were more than just entertainment--they were lessons. No, life isn't always going to be perfect. No, things aren't always going to work out as you expected. Yet, no matter what happens, you'll always have your friends to fall back on, and most importantly, it will all work out in the end.
Similar to a Friends episode, life is a progression. Naturally, the only way to move forward is to do just that: move. Yet, sometimes doing so is the most difficult of decisions. Failure is scary, right? If we're trying to move forward and failure could result in a step backwards, is it worth the risk?
My two greatest fears are mediocrity and stagnation. Unfortunately, both can creep up rather unsuspectingly. But how does one avoid such a thing? The obvious answer would be success. Success, though, isn't guaranteed. If it were, is it really success, or simply fate? Failure, rather, is much more tangible (if not attainable).
When you fail, you learn. You learn what didn't work. You learn what you shouldn't do. You refine your method. Hey, Ross and Rachel didn't exactly work out the first time (or the second). But after a bit of a break (pun intended), I'll be damned if they don't get (and stay!) married. They grew by failing.
If Friends has taught me one thing, it is to take risks and keep moving. Not one of them wanted to move out of Monica's apartment. Deep down, however, they all knew it was the right thing to do at one point or another. I've learned that being scared isn't always bad thing. Sometimes, even, it's the best thing.
Watching Friends gave me a new perspective--even a decade later than the rest of my generation. Life changes. A lot. The person you were a year ago may just well be a distant stranger of your current self. It has been a whirlwind year with more ups and downs than my sanity is comfortable admitting. Amazingly, though, I wouldn't change a second of it.
-Philip