The first time I watched Gilmore Girls it took me two years to finish the series. I inconsistently binged the series and took many intermittent breaks. I didn’t remember much of the storyline, and I didn’t find much meaning or connection to the show. The feel-good, small-town aspect must have stuck with me though. That characteristic of the show inspired me to restart the series during this past year of college.
The second time I watched it, the show came to mean more than a shared love of coffee with Rory and Lorelai.
Watching Gilmore Girls again left a true impact on my life, whether watching it while running on the treadmill or eating my dinner at my desk in my small triple dorm room.
The show follows Rory Gilmore all through her high school and college journey. I’d watched the show in high school, but once Rory graduated high school, the show lost its meaning to me since I could no longer relate to Rory. But this year the show got me through my bumpy sophomore year of college—including dealing with friendship-related troubles and challenging myself to follow my passion.
Going to school across the country makes me feel homesick sometimes, and this feeling made me turn to Gilmore Girls during the sophomore fall semester. The show’s homey and cozy vibe defined the exact type of Netflix binge I needed one lonely November night. I made watching the show a ritual when I went to the gym each morning, and I began to appreciate parts of the storyline that I missed the first time.
Like Rory, I love writing and journalism. I’ve always held high aspirations and done well in school. This fall of sophomore year, I let Rory inspire me to pursue the opportunities that came my way.
I received an invitation to the Communication Department Honors Program in the fall semester. The amount of work it would involve frightened me slightly, especially the thesis requirement during senior year. I spent many weeks thinking over the decision, meeting with advisors and professors for their opinions and weighing the pros and cons.
I recall running on the treadmill one morning and watching the episode where Rory decides to attend Yale. She took a chance and went with what she wanted for herself. I realized that I also needed to take a chance to reach my full potential. I simply couldn’t allow myself to pass up an opportunity like joining the Honors program. So I emailed my professor that day accepting the invitation.
The next time Gilmore Girls affected my life came a few weeks later when I became a writer for College Magazine. Rory wants to pursue journalism, a career with a highly competitive and challenging atmosphere. Nonetheless, Rory finds passion in writing, a passion I share immensely.
I felt overjoyed that the opportunity to pursue my love of writing came to me during my fall semester.
I decided to join College Magazine and never looked back.
The most recent moment Gilmore Girls changed my life relates to my relationship with my mom. The relationship Rory has with her mother Lorelai on the show helped me realize how much I need to cherish my relationship with my mother.
Just as I began to finish up the series during second semester, I went through the most difficult week of my college journey so far. I found support in my mother, and I have never felt more accepted by anyone.
My mom probably wanted to give more help and support than I even needed—something all mothers undoubtedly do for their children. I fell into the habit of calling my mom multiple times each day. I started to share things with her I never even dreamed of sharing.
Without the inspiration from Rory’s relationship, I wouldn’t have realized the possibility for my mother to guide me through difficult times. I wouldn’t have banished my fear of sharing mistakes with my mom.
I learned that my mother wants to help me overcome any barriers in my life without judgment. After all, my mother got me hooked on drinking coffee each day just as Lorelai did with Rory. It seems only right I would have a close relationship with her just like Rory and Lorelai share a bond over coffee.
As silly as all these stories sound, I truly and wholeheartedly believe that Gilmore Girls changed my life during my sophomore year. I would not have had the courage to join the Honors program. Nor would I have taken the opportunity to write for College Magazine.
Most importantly, I would not have developed a deeper relationship with my mother this past year. I used to watch Gilmore Girls and feel jealous of the relationship Lorelai and Rory share. Now I watch the show and feel immense happiness. I finally relate to Rory and Lorelai’s bond of motherly-daughterly friendship.
Spoiler alert: I most definitely cried when I finished the series for the second time this past April.
