Rory Gilmore, you were the first character on television who I could relate to. You brought books to parties, wanted to be a journalist and preferred to spend your Friday nights folding laundry and ordering Indian food. I adored you. But real talk, you were fiercely imperfect. You made some oy with the poodles already type of mistakes. As if I were your little sister, I watched you make poor decisions and took note of the ramifications that followed. Thank you, Rory, for letting me learn from your mistakes.
1. Mom trumps boy (even if that boy is Jess Mariano)
“It was a once in a lifetime thing. You should have been there. My best friend should have been there.”
You didn’t see your mom’s face when she saw you weren’t at her graduation, but I did. You really hurt her. Your decision to skip school and travel to New York to see Jess taught me that relationships are priorities. Sometimes you have to sacrifice time with one to give time to another. It’s not to say that Jess didn’t deserve your time, but in that moment, your mom should have been your main priority. Plus, if you’re going to throw your life away, he better have a motorcycle.
2. We need Mitchum Huntzbergers
“When I’m upset and I need to do something, I eat a lot of pound cake. Do they not have pound cake at Yale?”
Yes, I thought he was a bully. His delivery was uncalled for. But you needed that, Rory. For most of your life you got whatever you wanted. People always believed in you. Though that sounds grand, it made you into a person who didn’t know how to handle criticism and rejection. I learned from your reaction (stealing a yacht was a bit hollow) that you really needed Mitchum. You needed someone to tell you that you don’t have what it takes. I need that too, because to get where I want takes more than my abilities and talents. It takes perseverance and resilience.
3. We’re all more privileged than we think
“Wake up, Rory. Whether you like it or not, you’re one of us. You went to prep school. You go to Yale. Your grandparents are building a whole astronomy building in your name.”
My favorite Logan moment was when he said that you were just like the people you made fun of in your articles. It seems like the people we judge share many familiarities with ourselves. I learned from your insensitive article and Logan’s challenge to you that I am more privileged than what I accept, that I lack gratitude and that I am not that different from the people I make fun of. You taught me that if I act morally superior, it may be because I am quite the opposite. It’s time to take inventory and show more grace toward others.
4. Forget the deer and own it
“I guess this goes on the ‘boy was I wrong’ list, right above gauchos but just below the flashdance phase.”
I still can’t believe you looked for the deer when it ran into your car. This moment taught me so many things. One, you overslept because you stayed up way too late studying. Don’t stay up too late studying. Check. Two, you got hit by a deer and then spent precious minutes that you could have used to drive to your test to look for this deer. Don’t look for the deer. Check. Three, You were late for your test (your fault, not the deer’s), and completely lost your Rory. You screamed in class and everything. Don’t scream in class and everything. Check.
5. Don’t drink the Founder’s Day Punch
“Did you learn nothing from mommy’s Coyote Ugly bar dance at last year’s Salute to the Quaker’s Festival?”
This one’s pretty simple. You taught me not to drink cryptic liquids, or any punch really. Thank you. I understand now that no amount of alcohol will remove the tar from my soul.
