Giving up Days

I can tell you
about storylines
that took place when I was 5.
I have been watching this show
for my entire life...
I remember seeing the same couples
get together and break up
and marry other people
only to get together again.
I've seen men rape women
who turned around
and fell in love with them.
I've seen women drug and rape men.
I've seen "accidental" cheating,
serial cheating,
emotional cheating,
every depth of cheating
one could imagine.
And every time,
as long as that storyline
ended in something that
looked like love,
the rest was brushed aside.
Nobody cared about the rape
or the cheating
or the lying
or the string of relationships
he or she has had since the last time
that couple was together...
And nobody cares that
little girls
teenagers
young women
are watching and learning
from this daytime madness.

Growing up, I wanted to be just like them... not because they were rich, not because they were having great sex, not because they were model-thin... but because they were loved by a guy who was perfect for them (you know, until he cheated or she did... but that was besides the point!).

And all the things they HAD to do to get to that happy, loving relationship... that was just normal, right? It's crazy how the length of time a woman on a soap opera stays single after the death of her husband or after a divorce or break-up... can be counted in days. Lie, cheat, steal and have sex with anyone who paid attention to you... that's how it goes in the glamorous lives of daytime TV.

I have quit watching Days of Our Lives before for one reason or another, and I was always sad. I would use the net to try to catch up, or I would have a moment and find out what was happening with the families I had grown up with...  It was like I missed some friends and wanted to know what they were up to.

But lately the sex was too much. The cheating and backstabbing were tiring. The lies were irritating. I wanted to tell every woman on there... "Hey idiot.. that isn't love." I just couldn't watch it anymore.

I daydream a lot... and it is funny that, when thinking about how one thing or another could work out, I have to stop now and think, "Is that really how God would do it or is this a soap opera story line?" I don't know everything, but the answer to that one is usually pretty simple... and it often changes the way I react to a situation as well. Although, I DO know His sense of humor enough to know that I am bound to see some good "soap-worthy" stories from time to time. :-)

The point of all of this?
I quit watching Days of Our Lives again a couple of weeks ago... for good. And I don't miss it.

I hope its negative presence in my life continues to make a positive impact.