Most people spend their summers on the beach or decide to travel abroad. I, however, decided to spend my summer vacation binge-watching "Gilmore Girls," as I have the greatest combination of attributes: a Netflix account and no life. It was truly one of the greatest decisions of my young-adult life, right up there with that time I did laundry before I ran out of clothes and that one time I ate a salad instead of pizza... never again. Anyway, like most people with a beating heart, I completely love the show! I truly owe my addiction to my roommate, Katie, whose obsession with the show rubbed off on me quite a bit (as is the case with most things Katie does.)

I learned a lot from "Gilmore Girls," but one particular episode truly stuck with me. I did not realize how much this episode resonated with me until one of my friends gave me the greatest Christmas present ever:

Not only did this super cool poster remind me of my summer obsession with the show, but it also gave me great advice during a difficult time in my life. For all you "Gilmore" guys and gals out there, you probably know which episode I’m talking about, just from this image. For everyone who hasn’t seen the show, I’ll give you the short and sweet recap...

Basically, Rory, one of the quintessential characters of the show (she is one of the Gilmore girls), attends the events of an elite club called the “Life and Death Brigade,” in order to get a story for the Yale Daily News. The motto of the society is “in omnia paratus,” which is Latin for “ready for all things.”

Last year was absolutely crazy, in both good ways and bad... mostly pretty bad, unfortunately. A lot of events transpired, and I admit that still today, there are times I find myself still dealing with the aftermath of the craziness. However, in the midst of it all, this motto inspired me. Being an English major (and a cheesy one at that!), I am really obsessed with quotes. I like this slogan because it makes me feel less weak. I am trying to handle the downsides of life gracefully, and for those of you that know me well, you already know that I am not the most suave person. Like my roommate, Torie, I can sometimes be “as smooth as chunky peanut butter,” which is fine by me because I love peanut butter!

I hung this poster above my desk, and it reminds me that I am strong enough to handle the unexpected. There is such importance in being ready for anything because that is what life is all about. There is no possible way of anticipating what will happen in the next five or ten years; I mean, I don’t even know what I’m doing this Saturday (but in all honesty, I’ll probably be chilling with my cats.) When it all comes down to life, I just know that I have to be ready to embrace whatever gets thrown at me next. The poster reminds me that in being “ready for all things,” not all things are bad and that I have an amazing group of friends to help me through the rough patches. With hard work, focus, great friends, and pizza, I know that I can conquer almost anything adequately, and be half-Rory Gilmore, and in omnia, freaking, paratus.