"One Tree Hill" has stolen my heart just as it has stolen so many other people’s hearts. I was just a little late to the game but thank goodness for Netflix. One of the great things about One Tree Hill is there are so many life lessons that are engrained within the show and the story line behind every character. Every character presents some life lesson that we can learn from and after finishing the whole show, we experience so many emotions and we begin to appreciate everything the show taught us.
If you are a fan of One Tree Hill like I am or even if you are not, below is a list of life lessons that One Tree Hill has taught me:
1. There is such a thing as soul mates.
Haley James and Nathan Scott are just one of the couples who are each other soulmates. Starting off in the show, they didn’t like each other whatsoever, but as time passed, they found each other and grew together. The countless Haley and Nathan moments that are in the show pull at my heart strings. Haley and Nathan found their soulmate and they face every obstacle together.
2. Time flies.
I know this one is such a cliché, but the truth is evident in our own lives and within the show. Nathan Scott really developed over the course of the show from being a football star who was a complete jerk to being the man that Haley wanted him to be. By the end of the show, fans had seen him grow into a great man and his final quote of the show brought us back to his old seventeen-year-old self.
3. Chicks > Bros.
Simply put, everyone needs a friend in their life who completes their Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis sandwich. Brooke and Peyton overcame loving the same boy, a stalker “brother,” losing a loved one, heartbreak and just so many different obstacles. Despite the obstacles, their friendship always came back stronger. They are a force to be reckoned with. We all need that one friend to love us, support us and encourage us to be the best version of ourselves and to achieve our dreams.
4. Having a guy best friend is amazing.
Lucas Scott and Haley grew up together and created a lifelong friendship of laughter, love and memories. They are basically like brother and sister (and eventually brother and sister-in-law). The countless time spent together shopping for Halloween costumes, hanging out at Karen’s Café or creating wish lists for each year show that Haley and Lucas are there for each other no matter what.
5. Sometimes family isn’t your blood family.
Throughout the course of the show, the friends that are always seen together become more than just friends. They become each other's family, helping each other through every hard time and being there for each other always.
6. Waiting for the things you really want in life isn’t bad.
Keith Scott and Karen Roe’s love story is just another one for the books. Keith fell in love with Karen in high school, but his younger brother (Dan Scott) was with her. He knew had bad Dan had treated Karen at the time. His love for her never went away and they eventually found each other.
7. High school is just four years.
During high school, we are all given labels, just like the characters in one tree hill. There’s the jocks, the nerds, the cheerleaders and in addition to these labels, other labels are given. Brooke Davis overcame these labels she received in high school while showing fans that those labels don’t define you.
8. Forgiveness is important.
Dan Scott is known throughout the majority of the show as a jerk. He treated his family poorly and was only focused on Nathan’s future basketball career. He was known as a murder. He went to jail and did his time, but he wanted forgiveness from his family more than anything. He became a changed man and eventually earned forgiveness through his actions.
9. All a girl wants is someone to fight for her.
Brooke Davis is a character you grow to love. She’s goes from a head cheerleader with a sassy personality to a woman who loves hard, will do anything for family and who is motivated by her dreams. She wants what any female would want, someone who fights for their relationship and who loves just as hard as she does.
10. Second chance are possible.
One of the most surprising moments in the show was when Clay Evans found out that he was a father by his late wife Sarah. For years he had not known of Logan's existence, but Clay wants step up and be his father. This heartwarming, emotional part of the last season shows us that second chances are possible.
11. It's okay to be sad.
Jamie Scott is so wise for his age at every point in the show. We felt every emotion with Jamie, especially when he lost his friend Quentin Fields. Haley, Jamie's mom, made sure to remind him that being upset and having weak moments is okay because those tears make room for happiness.
12. There are six billion people in the world.
Peyton Sawyer reminded us that there are a lot of fish in the sea, but sometimes we only need one of those people (aka Lucas Scott).
13. Prove them wrong.
Coach Whitey Durham provided memorable quote throughout his time on the show, but one of this best reminds us to prove those people wrong who said we couldn't achieve something we wanted. Achieve your dreams and work against those who say you can't accomplish your goal(s).
14. You matter.
Marvin "Mouth" McFadden waned everyone to know that you are important and your actions are important in that they shape you as an individual as well as shape the world around you.
15. There is only one Tree Hill.
Tree Hill is a very unique place. We watch the character grow and watch their stories evolve throughout the show. No matter how far their stories take them, they come back to Tree Hill.
