In honor of the "Gilmore Girls'" return on July 1, I thought I'd stroll down memory lane. I first watched "Gilmore Girls" with my mom probably when I was in Junior High, even though it first aired in 2000. The show not only made my mom and I grow even closer, but it also taught me multiple valuable lessons.
Spoiler Alert: If you haven't seen the show, do not read any further!
1. Your first love will always be important. We constantly see Lorelai go back to her first love, Chris, and Rory go back to her first love, Dean. For the both of them, Chris and Dean each represent comfort and familiarity. This makes it easy to go to them in times of need because they will always understand how you think, feel, and operate. Throughout the show, we learn how these first relationships define their life. With Lorelai, having a baby at 16 years old with Chris forced her to grow up, and later inspired her to open an inn. Without taking that path, and without the responsibility of having to take care of her child, she may not have had the motivation to accomplish her goals. With Rory, we can tell starting off with a respectable boyfriend set her standards high, allowing her to respect herself.
2. Hard work will get you everywhere. Lorelai dropped out of high school after getting pregnant with Rory. Then she ran away from home and ended up in Stars Hollow. She started as a maid at the Independence Inn then worked her way up to manager of that inn. While making a career in hospitality and eventually finishing school and earning a college degree, she now owns the Dragonfly Inn. She worked persistently in order to provide for Rory and ended up being one of the top 10 bread and breakfast inns in Connecticut, despite not having significant support from family. Rory followed in her mother's footsteps and conquered high school at Chilton. She had to earn her way into that high school, considering she didn't come from money, and soon became vice president of student council. Once she graduated, she was accepted to Yale as an Ivy League girl.
3. Date who you deserve. Every junior high, high school, or college girl can relate to Rory's relationships. Everybody goes through a "bad boy" stage just like she did with Jess. Although his mysterious character drew her in, his flaky attitude ultimately drove her away. She demanded respect from him when he wasn't consistent. She did the same with Logan in college when he wanted to have an open relationship since he was not the commitment type. Just when she was ready to let him go because she wanted a relationship, he surprised her by agreeing to commitment. By sticking to her standards and never letting go of her charming personality, Logan realized Rory was worth committing to.
4. Give second chances. Lorelai continues to give her mom, Emily, second chances after Emily consistently butts into Lorelai's life. She also shows Chris forgiveness for not being present throughout Rory's life because being present now is all that matters for Rory's sake. Luke takes Lorelai back after she decidedly left out information about her whereabouts because he knew her intentions were pure. Dean forgives Rory for leaving him for Jess, and they eventually give their relationship another try. They teach to forgive and move on. Learn from every experience.
5. Coffee is life. This article would not be complete without mentioning the importance of coffee. Coffee might even be the most valuable lesson of all! Never drink decaf. Good friends have good conversation over coffee. Coffee inspires energy to accomplish your goals for the day. Getting coffee at your local coffee shop every day just might lead you to the love of your life. A prime example would be Lorelai and Luke. Basically, coffee brings life and love and should be greatly appreciated.
I recently decided to re-watch the series in anticipation for the new release. It has reminded me of all of the beneficial life lessons I learned early on just by witnessing how each decision plays out. I truly hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy the show for all it has to give. There will always be hope, determination, and love in "Stars Hollow."
