Farewell to LOST...

Last night marked the end of a period in my life that was complimented by of all things, a television show.

I know that it may sound trivial and absurd to identify a part of one’s life as supplanted by a television show, but LOST was most definitely a part of my life. One of my “constants”, if you will (and most LOST fans will understand the use of the term in this particular reference). Regardless of where you are at in life, or what altering event may occur, we all take refuge, or find solace in various forms. Sometimes it’s the obvious; a close friend; a parent or family member; religion; or a past experience. However, sometimes it is in the obscure, but nonetheless comforting aspects of life. A game… a blog... a bowl of ice cream… or maybe even a television show. Don’t get me wrong, it was not my whole life, and by no means would I ever correlate my existence or even my personality as a direct result of my viewing, but it was a weekly place of refuge. A weekly moment of solace.

Two years ago, during a difficult time in my life, my friends introduced me to the show by giving me their copies of the first three seasons to get me caught up to speed on the cult classic. I had resisted the urge to get into the show in the past (despite constant praise of the show’s greatness), but at the moment I had what seemed like nothing but time to kill. I would have taken any excuse to escape my life, and I could have found much worse ways to spend three or four hours every night than watching seasons past of a television show. I quickly realized why my friends had been drawn to the show. It’s writing and suspenseful nature always kept you of guard, and more importantly wanting more. Like a good book, I couldn’t put it down, or in this case resist putting in the next DVD despite the need to get sleep at one o’clock in the morning! Yes, it was THAT good!

Once I was caught up, I wanted more. I could not wait for every Tuesday night (which started out as Wednesday night) to come around! It gave me a reason to talk to friends, and even get to know some of them even better. One friend and I would get together every week to watch it, in what became a weekly ritual, and a great experience! It helped form an even better friendship.

Flash forward (as opposed to backward or sideways) two years, and I find myself a different person. I have made some new friendships, and maintained other great ones. Perhaps I no longer needed the security of a weekly television show, of all things. Perhaps I had other outlets now, and the show had run its course. Perhaps I myself was no longer “lost”, and it was time for the characters of my weekly addiction to let me go, just as a parent recognizes the maturity in their child and decides it is time to let them become the adult they were destined to become, and let go of their hand.

So, today I bid adieu to a part of my past two years. It has been a wild ride in both my weekly escape, and in the reality that encompassed the hours in between. Despite wanting more, I find myself content with its ending, and ready to move on. Thanks for the memories.