Why I’ll Miss Them.

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010. Monday, May 24th, 2010. These days, for me, will go down in infamy.

Now, don’t go judging me so quickly.

Yes, for the past SIX years I’ve been a devoted fan of LOST. And yes, for the past, close to TEN years, I’ve been a devoted fan of 24. And in the past 72 hours, both of those television shows have come to a close. To an end. Fin. Donezo. Peace out.

I’m not typically a huge television fan. The nerd in me loves to read and write, and frankly, I can get rather lazy when it comes to keeping up with the Joneses or Kardashians. But LOST and 24 have had my heart, soul, and dedication for close to a decade.

Sure, everything comes to an End, well, in the end. This chapter closes and another opens, why would I care? I knew the end was inevitable and/or nigh.

I’ll miss these shows because I “grew up” with them. Although I’d done the majority of my biological growing up when they started, these shows changed as I did over the last few years. Some of my greatest memories are spending time with some of the most important people in my life watching these shows together.

I’ve been out of college three full years now and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I miss it. And ironically, LOST and 24 were a HUGE part of that time. (I know, I know, three years isn’t that long. I’m young. Get over it.)

I remember the first time I watched 24 and LOST like I would remember any other major event in my life. I even remember on my anniversary with my college boyfriend, we went to WAL-MART and bought the first season of LOST and spent the next three days watching it together. And it was awesome!

I remember the Saturday marathons of 24 where my friends Matt, Nick, Erick, Ross, and I would start at 8AM and watch an entire season of 24 back to back for 18 straight hours. There was so much pizza, fun-dip, Diet Coke, and funny bits during those 18 hours. When the show would go to commercial and the clock would read 3:45:08, we’d have a competition to see who could guess what time the clock would read when the show would come back. I mean, it was an INTENSE competition.

Wednesday nights were always hopping in the “446 Suites.” LOST had a dedicated following of college students who would laugh, cry, and ask WHATTHEHECK? together.  The times spent in my apartment, Harrison 104, with the “safe zone” pining over the next episode. Oh, and Ethan was the creepiest character ever.

Those people that I spent time with watching 24 and LOST were my best friends, and I haven’t seen some of them since we graduated in 2007. And for some reason, in the last three days, I’ve been really nostalgic thinking about them. Wishing we were all together again to watch that chapter of our lives come to an end.

So, why would I ramble on and on about a couple of TELEVISION shows?

Because as they have changed, I have changed. I am not the same person that I was when they began. I’ve matured, I’ve grown, and I’ve transitioned. Just like them.

I’ve moved on. (Just like… well, I won’t say for those of you who HAVEN’T seen the finale of either…)

It’s okay to miss those days. It’s okay to miss those people. It’s good to know they were in your life for a reason.

Just like the characters of Jack Bauer and Jack Shephard were there… for THEIR reasons.

“There are no shortcuts. No do-overs. What happened, happened. Trust me. I know. All of this matters.” – Jack Shephard

It all matters. And it’s okay to miss it. As long as you don’t take what you’ve experienced, all of it, any of it, for granted. It’s okay to move on.

Word.