Lessons in life from 'Gilmore Girls'

Sometimes, you learn life lessons from experience. When you’re a child, and you touch the hot stove despite your mother’s warnings, you learn to listen to your mom and that the stove really is freaking hot. Other times, you learn life lessons from TV. At least, I have, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone on that one. For me, most of my TV life lessons have come from my favorite show ever, the best thing ever to appear on the small screen- "Gilmore Girls."(Probably because I’ve seen every episode 30 times. No, I’m not exaggerating. Really.)

In between Lorelai and Rory Gilmore’s fast, rambling, hilarious, witty banter are some real life lessons. Some that are absolutely hilarious and some that broke my heart and made me cry to the TV. (If you’re judging me for that right now, please think about how many times you’ve cried at a show. Exactly.) Anyways, I credit a lot of my street smarts to this show, so for all you Gilmore fans out there and even those of you who aren’t, I’d like to share the top 20 lessons I’ve learned from the glorious show. Many even apply to men, despite the show being about a mother and daughter. Hopefully, you learned some of the same ones, and if not, you can learn them now.

1.  “Oy with the poodles already” is a really funny phrase. Thanks to one of the Gilmores’ many Friday Night Dinner conversations, I know that. Lorelai and Rory spend a lottt of time talking about this one night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e681kuHWds
2. You can’t control love and attraction. Right now, I’m in Paris staying with a family, and my host sister said Americans don’t truly date people they could love. They date people for practical reasons, and that’s why so many relationships don’t last. And you know what, she’s right. Rory tries to do just that. She says Dean is nice, reliable, sweet, and the list goes on and on. He even built her a car. Enough said. She tells herself how perfect Dean is for her because on paper, he is, but she falls out of love with him and refuses to accept it for a long time. But she eventually figures it out, and all Jess fans went crazy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtDUGnPDMpM
3. “Hey, how many margaritas is too many margaritas? Um, if you can’t remember where the living room is.” It’s not when you feel dizzy, you run out of money or even when you feel like you should stop drinking. (Hey, what do you know? You’re drunk.) Just when you can’t find the living room.
4. Use pro-con lists. Ahh, the famous Rory Gilmore pro-con lists. She uses them to make all decisions, even major ones such as choosing a college. She doesn’t just think about her emotions; she weighs all of her options very carefully, taking logical, emotional and practical reasons all into account. And that’s a great life skill. Every time a friend is freaking out about a big decision, I essentially make a pro-con list verbally with the person. And it always helps. And I say “Don’t thank me. Thank Rory Gilmore.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXSZuXuJp50
5. Your perfect man or woman might be right under your nose. To some people, the perfect couple is Ally and Noah from “The Notebook.” For me, it’s Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes. They’re definitely not the most romantic couple, but it’s apparent they really love each other. Lorelai dates many men before finally dating Luke; meanwhile, Luke remains single, pining for Lorelai. Don’t we all wish someone would keep the horoscope we gave him/her nine years ago and then show it to us and our first date? Umm, I do! Cutest thing ever. While the couple does have their struggles, Lorelai says that Luke is the first person she’s ever truly loved. And he was there all along. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXhJ95_1I48
6. The plural of “cul de sac” is “culs de sac.” Lorelai is very upset when Rory tells her this. And I mean very upset. Their conversation about this lasts a solid five minutes. We all probably could’ve learned this without Gilmore Girls, but it was nice learning it at such a young age and in such a memorable way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cWGzd21ENI
7. “Snow and men have a lot in common.” We all know, how should I put this so as not to offend my male readers? You know what, delicacy be damned. A lot of men absolutely freak out at the thought of commitment, emotional intimacy and pretty much everything else women want. That’s what Rory means by this. Snow does too, in case you didn’t already know that. (It’s OK; you live in Florida.) Lorelai calls Rory and tells her all about her terrible day with snow- the inn being snowed in, her foot icicle and last but not least the enormous pile of snow that falls on her car. Lorelai then says, “It’s OK; I blame myself. I may have been too needy with snow.” And that’s when Rory says the best line of the entire show (and that’s really saying something)- “snow and men have a lot in common.” So, remember ladies, don’t be clingy or expect much from men or snow; they’ll freeze up. (Sorry for the really terrible pun, but I had to.)
8. Don’t let peoples’ harsh words destroy your dreams. One of the saddest moments of Gilmore Girls is when Mitchum Huntzberger tells Rory that she “doesn’t have it,” referring to her journalism skills. Like anyone would, Rory becomes distraught. Journalism is the only thing she’s ever wanted to do. What now? So she drops out of Yale, breaking Lorelai’s, Luke’s and every fan’s heart. She morphs into a person that is not at all true to herself. She eventually gets her life back on track and returns to Yale, though, but she spends six months living a life she never wanted. But when she does get back on track, she’s stronger than ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXCd7uapns4
9.  “Some things are just never meant to be, no matter how much we wish they were." I used to get upset when my expectations for relationships, jobs, internships and even small situations didn’t meet the reality. I couldn’t grasp why it didn’t turn out like I hoped. I just knew that it should’ve been that way because that’s what would truly make myself and everyone else involved happiest. Wrong. Hours, days, months and even years later, I saw how much better my life was because what I wanted didn’t happen. Some things just truly aren’t meant to be.
10. Go along with someone’s jokes and bits. Dean tells Max that if Lorelai makes the pepperoni ask Max a question, he’s not just supposed to laugh; he needs to answer. I know that probably sounds extremely confusing and strange, but it just means go along with someone’s jokes. It’ll be more fun for both of you: trust me. And if you don’t believe; that’s alright. The show is proof enough. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWZ7uhurCmE