some habits die hard

i have a secret. i watch days of our lives.*

i've been a faithful viewer since birth. my grandmother watched it, and therefore, so did i. of course, i only watched it during the summer or on sick days as a youngster, but it was enough to make me a lifetime addict.

my habit is easily facilitated with technology; no need to even futz with recordings - i purchase the episodes on itunes. this is the best deal ever.** there are no commercials, so the show is a time-efficient 40 minutes long. and, well, you don't have to watch commercials. and the show never gets interrupted by some news reporter telling you something you don't want to hear.

enjoying soap operas requires one simple personality trait: empathy. if you are an empathetic person, you become vested in the characters. you are smug when the bad guys get what they deserve. you groan when someone trying to change their ways falls back into old patterns. you cry for the mother who loses her child. you ache for that couple to just quit being stubborn and get together.

soaps are a good teacher of life lessons: you made things much worse by lying; people can change; midday nookie is fun; all relationships require forgiveness. of course, they do lead you astray once in a while, like portraying that romance on the beach is a good idea (hel-looo - that sand gets everywhere!). and heeding these lessons isn't as easy as it sounds, as we all know.

but most of all, i treasure the reminder to live well: "like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives."


*now i have no secrets. i feel so free.
**yah, probably a slight exaggeration.