LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLLLLEEEEEE! Nah, let's just talk about all the ways that "The Office" and "Parks and Rec" got me through my roughest semesters of college.
I started watching "The Office" as a favor to my wonderful boyfriend, who claims that I don't have enough culture. I would rather watch a movie than dedicate my time to a show, but immediately, I loved this and fell in love with the character development.
Both of the hilarious sitcoms, although more dramatized than what actually goes on in a workplace setting, teach you a lot about life in general and frankly, give me hope that I will make it through actual adulthood. There are a couple of different ways that I am going to break this down, in that it will partly be a character/show analysis and comparison, and partly a debrief on the takeaway life lessons of both shows.
VS. 
There are so many things that are heartfelt and compassionate in both of these shows, and personally, I truly appreciate the way that they present awesome life lessons in ridiculously, (sometimes, scarily accurate), funny ways that hit you right in the feels. To begin with, my first lesson that I learned, is that it is totally okay to mess up again, and again, and again until you get it right. In "The Office," you constantly see Pam and Jim falling for other people when it is clear that they should ultimately end up together to right the universe. Time and time again, within "Parks and Recreation," Leslie comes up with schemes to try and help the city of Pawnee yet instead, cause more problems than she began with. All this is just to say that even though the shenanigans that are caused become problematic to the original goal, the characters find ways to make it work. I think this is why I love these two shows so much; at the end of every episode, there is a sense that everything will be okay and we all will survive.
The most beneficial lesson to come out of these shows is that it is okay to have no idea what you are doing right now and it's okay to have no idea what the future has in store. Cause let's face it, there has never been any given "correct" way on how to go about stumbling through life, (and if there was, we would be living in sci-fi novel). I say that as long as you are happy and you fight hard for what you believe in, that is all anyone can ask for. And gosh darn it, I feel pretty accomplished getting out of bed and going to classes every day and if I remember to eat, it's been a stellar day!
A theme that is emphasized within "Parks and Recreation" is that there are always two paths to take and the path that you choose may be harder and more winding, but will ultimately pay off. While Tommy represents the ultimate "get rich quick scheme" character (seemingly the easiest route), it is proved that when he actually puts his mind to it, he develops thoughtful and ingenious ideas for both his benefit and his friends. This lesson is also represented in both shows through their relationships that have us grabbing the edge of our seats in anticipation. Ann Perkins and Chris Traeger end up happily together, but only after years of halting their relationship as both friends or lovers. Also, the great love story of Michael and Holly in "The Office" leave you so heartbroken and happy at the same time that we don't know how to feel.
All in all, I think that as someone who has often had to encounter things that others haven't, as well as had to grow up faster than most of my peers, the one lesson that I consider the takeaway from both quirky comedies, is to always be true to yourself and you will find who you are along the way. Now I know that that sounds extremely cheesy emotional, but it's true. don't ever let someone turn you into something you are not. Obviously, in relationships and friendships and any other kind of 'ships', there is some give and take that occurs. And that is totally normal and good to have happen, but when it comes to the people who you truly care about and who care about you, let them see your flaws and your quirks and ridiculous obsessions that you won't show anyone else. Here's why... it is exhausting keeping up a charade (or multiple), forever. And you will eventually slip up. So that's why Leslie is ambitious and pushy, April is the forever moody teenager and Michael is the ridiculous boss; because it works for them and you accept them for who they are.
Although there are many other lessons to be learned from these shows, I wanted to touch on the ones that meant the most to me. The major themes of character development and brilliantly thought-out directing, creates a light-hearted way to speak to all kinds of people; from the Leslie's and Michael's, all the way to the Garry's and Angela's.
