The last 15 years of Kimmy Schmidt’s life may not be the most desirable and certainly not something to be jealous of, as she was kidnapped and put in a bunker with three other women and convinced by a crazy reverend that the rest of life on Earth was wiped out by the apocalypse.
Now usually I would not be one to comically speak about something so awful, but Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s incredibly hilarious sitcom could make anyone laugh about the hardships Kimmy endured.
But jokes and giggles aside, I think there’s a deeper meaning in these episodes that can really make you think. Kimmy takes everything life is throwing at her and making it through - maybe not so flawlessly - but with pride, bravery and thankfulness for life. So here’s a few things that crossed my mind while my eyes were glued to the TV with a fascination in Kimmy Schmidt’s amusing day-to-day activities following her rescue.
1. Life is beautiful.
Kimmy is out. The whole gang is rescued from the bunker. After 15 years they’re finally seeing real daylight, grass, the sky and human life other than each other. When you think of situations as such, is there really anything to not be thankful for? The show was obviously made for comical purposes, and I of course spent a great amount of time laughing hysterically, but I also remembered that these things do happen in real life. Kimmy Schmidt and her bunker-mates are just thankful for life and the very basic things that is offered to them both in and out of the bunker. So when I look at it that way, well, I’m more than incredibly thankful for being alive, having a house to live in and a great family, my friends, always having food to eat and for all of the other rather unnecessary things life has provided me with.
2. If you set your mind to it, you actually can get through anything.
As Kimmy told many of her new friends in their own "traumatic" and unbearable situations, “You can stand anything for ten seconds, then you start on a new ten seconds.” Through all of her 15 years in the bunker, Kimmy survived without going totally crazy by telling herself she could always make it through the next ten seconds and repeatedly doing this got her to the end. She specifically used this technique when turning the mystery handle for nothing to ever happen from turning it. It may seem silly, but her words hold true because it did help all of the other people she told. It makes me believe that nothing is impossible, if you take it ten seconds at a time. (Cue Jordin Sparks -- "Just take one (ten) step (seconds) at a time, there's no need to rush...")
3. Beauty is within.
There's one episode in particular, when Jacqueline tells Kimmy happiness is from the outside in, meaning if your appearance makes you happy then you're automatically all around happy. Kimmy almost agrees with her and is about to get plastic surgery to become happier -- she also had no idea what she looked like after 15 years in the bunker and was shocked to see her own reflection -- but quickly realizes that outward beauty is not what will give her happiness at the end of the day. That alone shows that beauty is within. But Kimmy is also a generous and caring person and she genuinely wants her friends to be happy as well. Beauty not only comes from the outside but it radiates from your personality and everything within. Kimmy is strong and powerful and reminds herself, and attempts to remind others, that these are the qualities that count towards beauty and happiness. As Kimmy said, “In order to fix ourselves, we have to start right here. Find that small unbreakable you inside yourself.”
4. It’s good to be “unbreakable” because it proves that you are comfortable with yourself.
“Be you. Be what you want. Then become unbreakable.” Being yourself is another step towards happiness. Once you’re comfortable in your own skin, the stupid things that other people would say or do to you that once bothered you will no longer break you down. Being comfortable, happy with and confident in yourself is a great gift because you are the only person that ever gets to be you and that should be something special.
The theme song is also super catchy, so for your viewing pleasure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfuFo0Rr3FQ