Thank You, Rory Gilmore
Every fall and winter, I get this strong urge to binge watch Gilmore Girls. Partly because for me, the best Gilmore Girls episodes were the ones set during fall and winter, but mostly because it was two years ago during the fall/winter that we got a Netflix revival of one of my favorite television shows of all time.
This year, as I binge Gilmore Girls and Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, I’m looking back at my own life, where I’m at now, and just how much this TV show shaped who I am today.
Gilmore Girls aired between 2000 and 2007, making me 4 years old at the time of the pilot, and 11 at the time of the finale. I was 20 at the time of the revival. So, since I was a kid and all the way into adulthood, I’ve watched and grown up with Lorelai and Rory. And sometimes consciously, but most of the time subconsciously, Rory became someone whose spirit seeped into my life.
The first way: she introduced me to the world of journalism and writing.
I was literally a child when I watched Rory at Chilton, writing for her school paper. I thought that was what made your high school experience. So, when I was a senior in high school and finally had some free time, I took a journalism class so I could get the vibe of what Rory went through. I didn’t expect journalism to go anywhere, but then it came time to apply for college and four years later I now have a journalism degree.
The second way Rory shaped my life: with her love of books.
Rory Gilmore taught me two very important things that are now a part of my everyday life. The first: always take a book with you. I can’t even count how many times this tip has saved me from complete boredom. Whether I’m meeting up with a friend and they’re running a bit late, or I’m on break at work and I’m by myself, having a book tucked away in my bag to fill the quiet is so much better than scrolling through my phone.
The second: smell your books. The first person I ever saw smell a book was Rory Gilmore. I’m sure someone else would have eventually introduced me to this experience, but Rory was the first. I will never forget her standing in her school library and smelling a hardcover. Now every time I get a new book, it’s just a habit to smell it. Some may think it’s weird, I just think it’s a normal part of my bookish life.
Rory talked about books in such a loving way and she never let anyone make her feel bad for loving to read. There were countless scenes throughout the series of her reading a book at lunch, at home, around Stars Hollow, and at school. Those around her, including family, friends, and boyfriends, encouraged her love of reading and only loved her for it.
Gilmore Girls change my life because it gave me Rory Gilmore. Rory Gilmore, who introduced me to journalism and the joy of writing. Whose reading habits have rubbed off on me and will probably stick with me for the rest of my life. And who taught me, from a young age, to love books fiercely, and read widely and as much as possible.
Thank you, Rory.
