The TV You Should Be Watching If You Want to Learn About Life

I watch a fair amount of television. Most of it in the form of comedy shows. Colbert, Jon Stewart, late night talk shows, sitcoms, hell, even Homeland can be considered a comedy at this point (albeit a suspenseful and rugged comedy, sure). I choose to watch things like this as opposed to those "news" shows. The ones that so badly wants to convince me that the world is comprised only of kidnappings, rape, and murder, while slyly concealing the thousands of heartwarming, funny, GOOD stories that exist. I'd rather read my news in the paper or online. I can see headlines, get the gist of the bad shit, and delve deeper into things that make me, as Jack Nicholson so candidly says in As Good As It Gets, "want to be a better [person]." Forgive me for not wanting to watch 24/7 coverage of the same depressing stories being argued about, exploited, and politicized over and over again. The same incessant negativity. I will always rather read an article than listen to Greta Va Crazy Pants drone on about a "Tot Mom," or Bill O'Reilly "spin" in his "zone."

Anywho, I'll get off my soapbox now and get on my funbox instead. There are a handful of heartwarming and genuinely hilarious shows out there, but 2 particular gems go beyond the realm of comedy and into the realm of pure...simple...goodness: Modern Family and Parks & Recreation.

Modern Family

Don't turn off who you are.

The people who matter may make fun of you to no end...but they will love and accept every intricacy and quirk you have to offer. Life is boring without those things. Those are the good stuff.

Flip things around on Life.

Life can get pretty weird. And it can get the best of us a little more often than we would like. So when life hands you something, don't feel like you always have to do what is deemed acceptable. Throw life for a loop for once.

Labels are silly and shouldn't matter.

The only labels that should matter are: types of BBQ sauce (i.e. chipotle vs. honey vs. terriyaki), price tags on sneakers, warnings on medications, and those wrapped around beer bottles (i.e. Coors Lite vs. Dogfish Head).

Parks & Recreation

TREAT YO SELF (The obvious one to any Parks & Rec enthusiast)

One of my favorite literary homies, Oscar Wilde, said it best: “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.” So too did the great Ferris Bueller:

Tom Haverford and Donna finish the sentiment: Treat. Yo. Self.

Food is good...food is energy...and you are what you eat...

If Ron Swanson can let loose...you can too. And you should.

No one looks stupid when they are having fun. Okay, maybe some people do, but if you're having fun, who cares?

Personalized gifts mean the most.

Nothing beats showing someone that you you know them and you care enough to get them something that they will actually use and/or appreciate.

Sometimes it's okay, and even better, to simply "screw it." 

Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt proved this. 

(for some reason there are no versions of this scene that I can embed in here so the link above will have to do)

Life will inevitably try to convince you that the old "too good to be true" notion exists. Moreover, it will convince you that not only does this exist, but that it is also a rule to be followed without contention. It will tell you that timing, circumstances, distance, small quiffs, minute lifestyle differences, etc. are evidence that you should abort, put walls up, and hold back from going for it. Sometimes you just have to come out with it: "This is how I feel, how do you feel?"

So how do you feel? It's Sunday night after all...let's make Monday...ah who am I kidding. Mondays suck. But I for one am looking forward to the weekend...and that's enough for me.

CHEERS!