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December 31, 2009
2010
Some people watch 30 Rock as a fairly straight-forward sitcom. Those people, I’d wager, are not single people over a certain age. For some of us, there is pathos in the way poor Liz Lemon is constantly forced to ask herself if she’s missing something by giving so much to the career she loves. Unlike the parade of simplistic romantic comedies that tell career-minded women that the key to their happiness is to lighten up, 30 Rock shows us that life is not nearly that simple. Liz doesn’t have everything she wants, but on a daily basis, she’s cheerful and engaged in her world. Her biggest trials and tribulations are often nothing more than the result of trying to be someone she’s not, someone she thinks she should be as opposed to who she is. She stands in contrast to Jack, a single, powerful, career-minded man who claims to be completely satisfied with his life but is shown over and over again to have the exact same kinds of frustrations and insecurities about his life that Liz does. You can enjoy the show’s pratfalls, absurdism, and snappy dialog without ever thinking about its emotional core, but it’s there, a real thing—the acknowledgement that we can’t have it all, that real happiness might be more about accepting what is than striving for something that can’t be. I love that about the show.
I’ve been thinking about this lately because, of course, it’s that time of year when we’re supposed to ask ourselves about what we might do differently in the year ahead. Earlier this year, I told myself I was going to find a better balance between work and life and rest, and I think I have—although I’m still definitely leaning toward the slightly-too-busy side in 2010. The truth of the matter is that I’m not happy unless I’m slightly-too-busy. I like a lot of stuff going on. The balance part is remembering to schedule quiet time to write and think and process—days like today, in fact, where I have no reason to get out of my pajamas until after dark. Earlier this year, one of my coworkers told me that she tells her kids that they should do something every day that is good for their minds, something that is good for their bodies, and something that is good for their spirits. I think I’m going to take that one on in 2010.
Happy New Year!
Posted by adrienne at December 31, 2009 12:10 PM
Comments
I love the realization that you are not happy unless you are slightly too busy! I feel the same way. It is when I get totally overwhelmed that I lose balance. I love this post. Will keep it handy as i attempt balance this year. thanks!
Posted by: Franki at December 31, 2009 02:33 PM
Happy new year to you, too, Adrienne!
Posted by: Susan T. at December 31, 2009 03:10 PM
Franki,I'm the same way. It's a fine line between pleasantly overcommitted and overwhelmed, and that is where the trouble lies.
Susan, Thanks!
Posted by: adrienne at December 31, 2009 04:40 PM
I was just watching 30 Rock last night and pondering its brilliance. Love reading your thoughts about balance and tending to body, mind and spirit. I like being happily engaged, not overwhelmed. It's an ongoing challenge. Happy New Year, Adrienne. I love coming here. ♥
Posted by: jama at January 1, 2010 08:37 AM
Thank you! I enjoy all the places our paths cross here on the Internets. May your 2010 be filled with peace, joy, and a whole lotta good food!
Posted by: adrienne at January 1, 2010 02:49 PM
I'm a new 30 Rock addict, and find delightful the 2-second lapse between when a joke is made and when I get it. The show is fast, but there's the mental equivalent of a pleasant aftertaste that I don't recall experiencing with other shows.
I'm going to remember the mind/body/spirit advice your coworker tells her kids.
Posted by: Saints and Spinners at January 4, 2010 11:52 AM