The Office

It's like an era of my life has ended...and it's ok.  I just feel like this show has been such a big part of my life the last 8 years.  That may sound silly, but I'll tell you why I was/am so attached to it.

As the second season started, I joined many others in watching the show.  I must thank my sister's former boyfriend for getting my whole family into it.  This was fall 2005 to spring 2006.  At that time I had been in a situation of unrequited love for a few years, and as I watched the character of Jim, I just wanted to give the tv a hug.  I knew what he was going through.  I watched that season's finale episode, "Casino Night", the night before I had the surgery that changed my life's course at the time.  The day after watching Jim profess his feelings for Pam, I was diagnosed with endometriosis.  I had finally started dating the person I had cared about for so long, but I knew his feelings had only changed because I was about to serve a mission for my church (something that wouldn't be possible with my new-found condition).  I hurt like that character hurt.  I knew that my diagnosis meant more than just not serving a mission...it meant the likely end of my current relationship, and I was right.

Then in fall 2006, the character of Jim moved on to a new branch while I moved on to a new and happier chapter of my life.  Many other parallels in our stories would follow...marriage, birth of children, etc.  I was emotionally invested in this show from the beginning.  Unlike other fans who stopped watching when Michael left, or a handful of episodes into the following season, Jeremy and I stuck with it.  This show gave me a reason to laugh when I needed it most.  It made me cry in happiness for the characters I had grown to love.  The series finale was amazing, and I had to share these thoughts with you, however silly they might be.

So thank you to the actors, writers, and NBC for arguably the best show ever made.