Gilmore Girls taught me to write my own story with a simple action

Please don’t wait for others to write it for you; go out and do it

The Gilmore Girls season three finale aired twenty (ish) years ago. As a twelve-year-old super fan, I watched as the episode served up a cocktail of triumphs — Rory’s powerful valedictorian speech dedicated to her resilient mother, Lorelai, and Lorelai achieving her dream of owning an inn — with the understated and no less bitter bite of Jess and Rory’s breakup. It’s a perfect 45 minutes. Looking back as an adult and a writer, I love how it brilliantly closes one chapter of the Gilmore girls’ stories while opening up another, epitomized by the final scene where Lorelai says to Rory in an empty Chilton lobby: “Look around for a second. Notice? It’s not so scary anymore.”

As an adult, this hits hard; it’s emotional, and I feel the weight of the three seasons of their lives leading up to this point.

But, as a pre-teen? I was furious.

Of course, I loved the episode. I wanted more, and I had so many questions. What happens next? Will Jess and Rory reconnect? Does Jess make a last-minute grand gesture and meet up with Rory and Lorelai in Europe?

This is where I should admit something: I love spoilers.