I started watching ‘This is Us’ when it first aired. I still remember sitting down to watch the very first episode and thinking, “This is going to be MY show.” And lo and behold, for six years, it was my show. I watched almost every episode live, and in our house, this was essentially an event. Everything had to be done, everyone had to be put to bed, and sometimes I even indulged in dessert while watching.
I think this show had such a hold on me (and so many others) because it was emotional and human and real. The characters were so perfectly flawed yet lovable, the story lines came together in the most poetic way, the flashbacks and the flash forwards were pieced together with such care. I could go on and on.
One of my favorite parts of the show was the relationship between Jack and Rebecca. What an epic love story! It grasped you from the very beginning, and the way it was all tied up in the end was just perfect. It was truly the ending this beautiful couple deserved. As silly as it sounds, watching their love story, their struggles, their challenges, their heartbreak unfold on television made me appreciate my love story with Vishnu that much more. It helped me see that the only way to love is to appreciate what’s in front of you in this very moment. Tomorrow isn’t promised.
I also loved all of the parenting lessons from the show. Mandy Moore played her role as the matriarch of the Pearson family with such grace, even in those moments where she messed up or disappointed herself/someone else. There was just so much to take away from every single episode from all of the characters. My biggest lesson was to soak it all in as often as you can because the days go faster than you can imagine. And I find that to be so true with my own kids. Of course, the days often feel very hard and very long, but when I look back, I’m always amazed by how fast time flies by.
This is the kind of show where you can’t help but cheer for everyone. It’s the kind of show that will bring you to tears (and more often than not ugly tears) more often than not. It’s the kind of show that forces you to reflect and really think about how you’re living life.
It was an absolutely beautiful six years, and I can honestly say that ‘This is Us’ is the greatest TV show there ever was!
