If you grew up in the early 2000's, chances are you've probably heard of the show "One Tree Hill", maybe you've even watched the series all the way through 4 times like me. Who knows? Anyway, if you know anything about OTH you know that for many people it's more than just a show. Through exaggerated love, drama, and interactions between high school girls and a couple of the dreamiest brothers this world has ever known, One Tree Hill taught its watchers valuable lessons about life, so here are the six that stuck with me the most.
1. Life moves fast, and sometimes growing up quickly is your only option.
"It's the oldest story in the world. One day you're 17 and planning for someday. And then quietly, without you ever really noticing, that someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life." — Nathan Scott
Nathan Scott taught us that sometimes you have to leave the nest before you're ready. Sometimes things happen unexpectedly and you have to learn how “adult” very quickly, and there will be ups and downs, but if you fight through them with loved ones by your side, you will always come out on top.
2. Labels are just that: Labels. They don't mean anything. They don't define you.
"Today I spent an hour with Brooke Davis and I learned something. People are gonna label you. It's how you overcome those labels, that's what matters." — Chase Adams
I think we can all agree that Brooke Davis (aside from Nathan Scott) was the most dynamic character throughout this series. From season 1, episode 1 to the final episode of season 9, we watched Brooke Davis transform from the stuck up, spoiled cheerleader into an inspiring, noble and 100 percent genuine young woman. She started as the rich cheerleader who got all the boys, then she transformed into the student body president, into a not-so-clean clean teen, into the founder and owner of a multi-million dollar company, and then into a foster mom. Brooke Davis took every label the world gave her and she shoved it where the light don’t shine. She taught us that just because people think we’re one thing, doesn’t mean we can’t be something else, and I think that’s a valuable lesson that every young girl in today’s society needs to learn.
3. Our time with others is not promised, so make every second count.
“It’s hard missing someone. But if you miss someone that means you’re lucky, it means you had someone special in your life. Someone worth missing.” — Nathan Scott
One Tree Hill brought us so many heartbreaking moments, but some of the worst ones were the days when Jimmy Edwards, Keith, and Q. died. Keith was a favorite from the beginning. We were all always rooting for him and Karen, and it wasn’t hard to see the strong and genuinely good guy he was for fighting through what Dan had put him through all his life and still managing to be an outstanding father figure to Lucas. We never really got to know Jimmy, but it was easy to sympathize with him. We’ve all been there, wanting people to like us, some days just wanting people to leave us alone. Q. was different, though. He was hard to like at first. But we saw him change, grow, open up. And eventually it was impossible not to love him, or the way he was with Nathan and Haley’s son Jamie. These 3 deaths taught us that we are never promised tomorrow, so we have to make every second with our loved ones count. They taught us that even the best fall down sometimes, but when we lose someone we love we can’t grow bitter, or angry, or shut out the world. We have to know that we are lucky enough to miss them, and we have to continue to live out our lives the way they would want us to. Because they deserve it.
4. It’s OK to move on and not be the same person you were in high school.
The entirety of seasons 5 and 6 consists of all the original characters coming to terms with the fact that it is OK to change. Peyton has a hard time accepting that Lucas has (tried) to move on, and Mouth can’t decide if he wants to leave Tree Hill because it’s all he’s ever known. But these two seasons also teach us that home is where the heart is, and if it’s meant to be it’s meant to be. Mouth ultimately stays in Tree Hill to work at the local news station and Lucas (involuntarily) writes his book “The Comet” about Peyton. Things will change, but home is always home.
5. It’s OK to cry!
“Sometimes people have to cry out all their tears to make room for a heart full of smiles.” — Jamie Scott
Jimmy Jam hit the nail right on the head with this one. In seasons 5 and 6 there was a lot of drama between Nanny Carrie, Dan coming back and then announcing his death, Lucas figuring out the truth about Keith’s murder, and the return of P. Sawyer. However, in the end, everyone ends up happy for the most part, (yes, I know that this is only a T.V. show and not an accurate depiction of real life, but hear me out) and they always seem to find a way to make the best out of every situation. This is something valuable that OTH fans took away from this show, because crying is something that needs to happen. If you don’t cry, then the pain just bottles up forever. So cry it out, and make room for that heart full of smiles!
6. My art matters.
“Your art matters, Peyton. It’s what got me here.” — Lucas Scott
I think after this line, we were all rooting (even if not out loud) for Leyton to work out in the end. We all want to feel like we’re making an impact, like what we do has meaning. Peyton and Lucas taught us that the little things we do can truly impact the bigger picture, or impact someone’s life. They taught us that if you really want something, then you’d better fight like hell to prove that you want it. They taught us never to give up on something you love if you love it bad enough, or if everyone else says it’s no use (or if your true love has another fiance), or that it doesn’t matter. Because our art does matter, and maybe it will help someone else get to where they need to go.
For so many people, One Tree Hill was more than a show. For many of us, I think it gave us hope. Hope that there still is true love out there, and that maybe there is a deeper meaning to things. Watching it as high schoolers, I think it reminded us that we’re not just dumb kids, and what we have to say and the things we do can matter. So for those of you who’ve never watched One Tree Hill, I suggest you get on it. And if you are a superfan like me, here’s to the show that was so much more than “just a show”, to the one that taught us life lessons we’ll carry forever.
