We're all out here, looking for "our person". That one individual that we can talk to at all times of day and night. That person that we trust with all our deepest secrets. The person with which we look forward to spending our whole lives.
Finding that person takes time.
In the mean time, there's Netflix.
Grey's Anatomy is a television show unlike any other. There is romance, drama, and medical terminology to boot. It might not seem like anything special from the outside, but once you're in, the characters hook you and they don't let go. These characters are so entrapping, because they are inherently human. They make mistakes, and learn from them, and as they do, those watching are able to gather scraps of wisdom vicariously.
Aside from understanding what "v-fib" means, there are eight lessons in particular that I learned through watching Grey's Anatomy:
1. "At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don’t keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That’s how we’re made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them."
2. “But when we are really sorry, when we use it right, when we earn it, when our actions say what words never can… when we get it right, “I’m sorry” is perfect. When we get it right, “I’m sorry” is redemption.”
3. "It turns out sometimes you have to do the wrong thing. Sometimes you have to make a big mistake to figure out how to make things right. Mistakes are painful, but they're the only way to find out who we really are."
4. "Did you say it? 'I love you.' 'I don't ever want to live without you.' 'You changed my life.' Did you say it? Make a plan. Set a goal. Work toward it, but every now and then look around; Drink it in 'cause this is it. It might all be gone tomorrow."
5. "Who gets to determine when the old ends, and the new begins? It’s not a day on a calendar, not a birthday, not a new year. It’s an event. Big or small. Something that changes us. Ideally, it gives us hope. A new way of living and looking at the world. Letting go of old habits, old memories. What’s important is that we never stop believing we can have a new beginning."
6. "Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He's very dreamy, but he's not the sun. You are."
7. "We lose those battles as often as we succeed. The key, though, win or lose, is to never fail. And the only way to fail is not to fight. So fight until you can't fight anymore. Never let go. Never give up. Never run. Never surrender. Fight the good fight, you fight even when it seems inevitable you're about to go down swinging."
8. "Gratitude. Appreciation. Giving thanks. No matter what words you use, it all means the same thing. Happy. We’re supposed to be happy. Grateful for friends, family, happy to just be alive… whether we like it or not. Maybe we’re not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human. Maybe we’re thankful for the familiar things we know. And maybe we’re thankful for the things we’ll never know. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing… is reason enough to celebrate."
