David!

Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m not a tv person. Somewhere between my dad discouraging us from watching tv and being in boarding school where we had to share one tv, I lost interest in television. I love Grey’s Anatomy and How to get away with murder but it takes me almost a full year to finish watching one season.

My boyfriend on the other hand LOVES watching tv. Movies, documentaries, YouTube videos of anything and everything. THAT’s his stuff. I’m the typical reader. I think the book is always better. It truly always is.

Anyway, when we went to Durban I was in desperate need of a holiday. My brain was toast from all the shit I’ve had to deal with this year. I would usually cancel therapy if I’m on holiday but that week I opted for an online therapy session. After listening to me intently, my therapist pointed out that I had packed all my worries alongside with my luggage and took them with to my holiday. I was on holiday but still worrying about the same things I’d been worrying about before I left home. Having someone point that out to me made me consciously decide to drop all my worries and learn how to relax.

I suggested we go for massages the following morning and also decided to stop taking my psychiatric meds that night. My psychiatrist has taught me how to tell when my brain no longer needs meds. They suddenly become too heavy for me. I want to sleep all day cos I’m just groggy and that’s what was now happening so I was comfortable in my decision to drop my meds. Dropping my meds meant I wasn’t sleeping nor needing to sleep as much as I used to.

My love and I filled that time with tv. I wouldn’t normally do that but I really just wanted to mindlessly watch tv just to give my brain a break. We would watch about 6 movies a day, more on a good day. I sincerely liked that version of myself. I always proudly declared that I read to relax until my therapist pointed out that reading did not count as relaxing. Awks.

Anyway, when I went to Cape town alone I was determined to spend time watching tv again. I wasn’t successful at first because I was always out. Then one evening I was chilling with my cousin when an unfortunate key incident happened. We needed to pass time while waiting for the locksmith so she recommended we watch Schitt’s Creek. I said sure, mindless tv again. Yay!

We went through 3 episodes and I was hooked. I returned home and I was determined to finish the hilarious sitcom. I watched it like it was my life’s purpose. Finally today I finished it. I, like all the sitcom’s fans, was sad that it had ended. I searched Netflix to see if there was anything else I could watch about that show and there was a documentary with some behind the scenes stuff.

I am happy I finished it. I cannot imagine a better way of spending my time. I’m actively working to always make sure I am certain that my value is not tied to my productivity. So I truly have no regrets about all the time I spent watching that sitcom.

That is some great television! I met a woman who works as a voice over artist for cartoons and is also from Canada so it was her who fostered my love and appreciation of that art and also art from Canada. I thought about her a lot when I finished watching the last episode of the last season and smiled thinking of her pride of the art her country produces and how it is NOT a part of the USA as she would so proudly and very patriotically point out.

Many LGBTQ+ people do not have the luxury of coming out to their loved ones cos human beings are bigots. I really enjoyed how David and Patrick were as normal as my mom and dad being together in that show. There wasn’t any noise made about the gay couple. It was just normal. I dream of a world like that. Where someone’s queer identity is not a bone of contention but a fabric of our definition of normal.

I respect artists. I value all kinds of creative expression. I think we are all inherently creative beings and it is imperative that we all have a form of creative expression in our lives. Art is a necessary part of life. I am thankful for those who so generously share their art with us. I don’t necessarily believe our forms of expression of our art should also be how we make a living. However should one be so lucky that their art is what feeds them then they should know they are in a very privileged position.

Not making money from our art should never discourage us from creating. Judging by the amount of joy consuming different forms of art gives me, I’ll go ahead and declare that you really cannot place a price tag on the joy seeing the world respond to your art so positively brings.

If you haven’t watched Schitt’s Creek, I highly recommend it. Truly wholesome content! Go Canada!

What a beautiful piece of art! To Dan and Eugene Levy, thank you! Patrick coming out for the very first time on the show? Ten stars! I loved every bit of this sitcom.

Here’s to beautiful art including the one we create secretly and the world will never know. It is all valid, all beautiful, all worthy!