Few days ago I was sitting in a cozy beautiful cafe, sipping coffee and thinking hard about my next write up. I wanted to write about something delightful, something that made me smile through the dark days. Just then a happy group of friends just walked in merrily and reminded me of something I dearly love watching, the FRIENDS sitcom. As most of you know it is a classic 90s TV show, about 6 friends whose lives were woven into this beloved comedy sitcom. This is like the most bingeable (don't really care if it's a word),happy show ever where I felt like I grew with each of them. From shamelessly crushing over Chandler, wierdly in love with couch of Central Perk or Monica's purple door with frame or doodle board in Joey's apartment, laughing hard till crying to learning some serious lifetime worth lessons from every character, this show had it all in for me.May be, yes there were some not so likeable plots in the story (for instance, not really a fan of Rachel and Joey's track) but it is the cute lovable flawed story which really got me hooked up years ago and till date plays on repeat mode. Anyway, in all seriousness I want to tell you what I learnt through this group of crazy 20-something buds and their take on life.
Rachel Green
We see this beautiful woman grow tremendously from a spoiled rich girl to an independent single mother with great passion and hardwork. Moving out of the comfort zone, making some tough decisions from working as a waitress to finally landing the job and also the man of her dreams, Ross , she shows us life surely is a bumpy ride, full of surprises,some good ones (a beautiful daughter) and some not so good (the whole drunk wedding fiasco) but determination and ofcourse taking a few risks (she gets off the plane to Paris and look what she finds..her "happily everafter") definitely gets us through it. And yes, ofcourse, that once in a while splurge on things you love to brighten your day like a darn cute outfit is definitely ok.
Phoebe Buffay
Undoubtedly she is the most quirkiest person of the group but it is quite baffling to see how cheerful and bubbly she is, though she has the most traumatic childhood from losing her mother to suicide, being abandoned by her father, separated from her twin sister to living on streets. Even when she is working as a freelance masseuse for peanuts or just singing some silly "smelly cat" jingle for free (which by the way is very catchy), she never lets the positivity in her die and makes us really believe happiness is where you find it. She makes us fall in love with her even more when she decides to be the surrogate of her brother's triplets or when she tells the embarrassed Rachel after her wierd morning run , "You'll never see those people again, so who cares if you run funny". When she says "I dont even have a pla" when talking about life plans( Huh..Girl, I connected right away with you), she teaches us it is sometimes ok to just live in the moment. She is just kickass and never lets anyone meddle with her opinions or choices or beliefs (the way she sticks to her views on evolution that too against a hot-head like Ross in a matter of science is just wow). And, finally when she finds her adorable soulmate in Mike and gets married is one of the sweetest moments of the show (especially the beautiful emotional vows she takes). Nobody can stop themselves from falling for her ditziness (I wish you could read my tea leaves).
Joey Tribbiani
A smile automatically pops up when this guy is in the frame. The way he conducts himself from being a high school dropout to a struggling actor and never giving up on his dreams is wayyy commendable. His relation with Chandler gives us major friendship goals. From living on Chandler's money or out of Monica's refrigerator he makes even that broke ass life looks quite endurable. His super famous lines like " How you doing??" Or "Joey doesn't share food" will stay with you forever. He shows us it's ok to be silly and for that child in us to be alive. Ofcourse, he comes with great wisdom once in while (when he teaches us what a "moo point" is damn awwwesome). When he tells Rachel's sister (who points out his extra love for food) " I am curvy and I like it!" , now that is quite something people like me love to hear anytime of the day. Ironically he looks damn smashing though. He is that guy who literally keeps the group alive and rolling and on the other side no number of failed auditions can come in his way to be a actor. Dr Drake Ramoray lives on.
Ross Geller
He is the nerd of the group, the smarty pants. A college professor, PhD holder, science enthusiast, grammar snob and is the most misunderstood person of the lot. His teenage crush finally turns into the love of his life and he teaches us that persistence sure pays off. He is quite a funny guy , from being called the divorce force (it's too bad to see such a cute guy go through three failed marriages, ofcourse not "his faults" by the way) or he frequently quoting "we were on a break" to explain the downhill of his relationship with Rachel, he shows us how to smile through the heartaches. But he seriously gave me something to really root for , to believe in true love , to never give up on it and believe that if it is meant to be it will be. It is ok to let go of few people or be let go by few in life, finally, things will fall in place and everything will turn out ok. Though I still cant figure out if "Unagi" has really something do with karate or is just some eel fish.
Monica Geller Bing
Obsessive,control-freak, perfectionist, intense, competitive, organized are few words which really describe her. Her determination to fight childhood obesity, her courage to wear awkward costumes to work and finally pursuing her dream of head chef at a renowed restaurant , she showed us the way to achieve our dreams is thorny but a fiery willpower will lead us right away. She is the one who never backs off, be it proposing to Chandler or taking the lead to plan a simple Thanksgiving dinner she gives her 200% in every thing, small or big. Her life makes you believe that life does not always go the planned way. She marries her best friend after many on and off relationships (look who she finally landed , Chandlerrrrr. Never a fan of Richard, somehow). Though she loves babies and longs for one, when she learns she can't have one she decides to adopt. She deals with life's challenges quite elegantly and never allows the fighting spirit to die. She teaches us to own one's self and be proud of it. Now, how can I possibly find out all 11 categories of her towels, I figured out 7 by the way.
Chandler Bing
Saving the best for the last, "The Sarcasm King". He is that guy who brings a comic relief to the group in any tense situation. No wonder I am crazily into him. His one liners in every situation just instantly lifts up the mood. Though he had a rocky childhood dealing with his parents divorce, his estranged father, he turns out to be a good husband, father, friend and teaches us that your choices are your own and you need to grow on your own. We now know it's ok for a guy to not like sports and like musicals. We see him grow from someone who is awkward around girls to falling in love, overcoming his commitment issues and marrying his best friend, from being stuck at the same boring job for years to quitting it for a new career and finally adopting twins, moving into a new house. It's like the perfect life story anyone would crave for (his life's growth curve is remarkable) and we finally end up feeling genuinely happy for him. His life intricately tells us that life is too unpredictable and you really dont know, you might find someone who would put a turkey on their head to just say sorry to you. He is just the quintessential perfect husband and lover. And, the noteworthy lesson, is never ever let the humor in you die. The humour which he apparently uses as the defence mechanism for his social awkwardness, makes him stand out like nothing else. Honestly I wouldn't have minded if I learnt nothing from him, I am just interested in his sarcastic comments, but I still did.
So, yeah life gets tough and really does suck at times but find times to still be silly, take a break, dont give a shit about what people think about you, be confident and go after what you love. Happiness is on it's way and no matter what it will find you.
( Cant really have enough of him, so one last...)