"Those Damn Dawson's River Kids..."

Okay, a somewhat vulgar title, but come on, great 10 Things I Hate About You quote! And seeing as I intend to talk about Dawson's Creek I found it only fitting. Now I know some of you know of my love of The Creek, as I so affectionately refer to it, and judge my poor choice in television watching, but I still maintain that everyone is allowed their own guilty pleasure and this just happens to be mine. There is something about teenage angst and contrived witty repartee that really just make me quite happy and content. I also think that there's a bit of nostalgia attached to the show seeing as I started to watch it the first year Herb and I were married, which is actually appropriate because that leads me to the real point of this blog.

Today I watched my all-time favorite episode of The Creek while working out. This episode is all about nostalgia and helping friends out in a jam. In "A Weekend in the Country" the assorted characters come together to spend a weekend at Joey's families' newly opened Bed and Breakfast to help impress a critic. Sounds cheesy, yes, but in the scenes to follow, they all end up gathering around the fire sharing smells which trigger wonderful memories for them. This scene alone is wonderful as each person shares their most powerful smells and memories. My favorites though are Gram's tale of sitting by the fire every night for 46 years with her husband reading aloud to her; she explains that every night he would fall asleep by the fire and she would watch him sleep, knowing that she truly loved him. The other story that hits a chord is when Joey shares that bacon sizzling reminds her of her mother and her mother's dream of opening a B&B. If you are a Creek fan, you know Joey lost her mom to cancer when she was young. Ah, yes, sappy content, but it gets better...

My favorite scene echoes with the sound of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" (a fabulous song for powerful movie and TV moments a la Love Actually) as Pacey sits by the fire watching Joey sleep. His actions echo Grams' words about her husband and we know in dramatic irony that Pacey truly loves Joey. I know it's totally intended to tug on my heart strings, but it does in a powerful way I can't explain. After watching this episode I just feel more optimistic about life. I don't know if it's the simplistic view of what love is or if it's the warm feeling of cuddling next to the fire sharing stories, but this episode makes me feel at home, in the safe, warm kind of way.

(By the way, my favorite memories triggered by smell come from the smell of Ice Plant climbing the hills in Palos Verdes, CA. The moment this smell enters my nostrils I'm in the comfort of my grandparent's home surrounded by family and love. There's nothing like that smell!)

So I start my day off with a little more comfort, an echo of hope in my heart. Even if it is silly, I think it is important to take comfort and peace where they come. Embrace those moments of hope, no matter how minor, for they are intended to lift our hearts.