Saturday, September 12, 2009

Shhh... I have a secret

I'm pretty certain that most of you are aware that I can easily be classified as a strange bird. I know, it's true, and it won't hurt my feelings if you admit it...

Many, many years ago when I was a wee child, my mother got me addicted to, uh, well, um, soap operas. A little embarrassing to admit but yes, no matter how professional I may appear in the workforce, nor how sophisticated and divaish I appear in social situations, in the privacy of my bedroom, in the safety of my home - I am addicted to soap operas.

Not so addicted that I have to watch them every single day of my life, but addicted enough to record them every day and read the synopsis of the episode before deleting it. I'm also addicted enough to read the weekly update in the newspaper and if nobody I know is around to see, I might pick up the Soap Update at the grocery store checkout and sneak it into my purchases. How sad is that?

I have such fond memories of watching soap operas with my mom. There was nothing more special than having a sick day from school and being able to lay on the couch with my sprite and crackers, snuggled up with a blanket and pillow sharing the daily soaps with my mom. It was a bonding experience like no other. Summer vacation days were scheduled around the daily soap schedule so I could catch up on everything I missed during the school year. My senior year of high school when we were allowed to leave campus for lunch was spent at my bff's house drinking sweet tea, smoking cigs and watching our favorite soap before hustling back to the real world of school.

The greatest thing about soap operas is that you really don't have to watch it every single day to 'know' what's going on. Occasionally some new character might show up that you're not quite sure where they came from, but all I had to do was call my mom and she'd fill me in and instantly I was caught up.

Everyone has their own 'favorite' soap opera and there are a few people in the world besides my mom that I share this secret obsession with so it's always fun when I get to talk about my soaps with another human being instead of keeping my addiction inside the closet. Since I'm spilling my guts now, my favorites have always been (in no particular order and always varying in ranking) The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, As the World Turns and Guiding Light.

Back in June I heard that they were planning on taking the Guiding Light off the air after some 50 or so years of production. I was stunned! This was the one soap that my mom and I shared a passion for. Still to this day I can go to my mom's house and we can watch a recorded episode and talk for hours about the lives of our favorite characters. How sick is that? Still I found it sad that I was going to be losing this part of my history.

I never have time to watch my soaps much anymore and even though I record them daily, I usually erase them at the end of the week after reading the highlights. Since June I have been keeping all of the episodes of the Guiding Light because I thought one day I might like to go back and watch them so I could see how it all came to an end. Last week we were having some cable issues and when the tech dude came out he told me that the box was going out and we needed a new one and unfortunately I was going to lose everything that we had recorded to the DVR. I almost died! But none the less, I soon got over it but vowed to start watching my Guiding Light episodes just in case something else happened and I lost them too.

Friday afternoon, after an extremely long and tiring week, instead of going to get my nails done or a pedicure, which I desperately needed. Instead of taking a long afternoon nap, which I desperately was coveting. I sat down and watched a week and a half worth of Guiding Light episodes. As I sat on my couch for 5 solid hours, I cried and I cried and I cried. I then called my mom and cried with her about all the story lines and how I could 'feel' them coming to an end. I know that sounds really hokey and probably a little psychotic, but the Spauldings and the Lewis' and the Coopers and all the other great characters that I had grown up with had become not only my friends but my family.

I hardly know what the world will be like without Josh and Reva, Philip and Beth, the Bauers and all the other great characters on this show. It's like a death in the family and even though this show has gotten pretty hokey in the last couple of years, okay it's always been hokey, I will miss it and I will miss all of them. Farewell Guiding Light family, thanks for being part of my like for the past 46 years!

And shhh... all of you need to keep my secret!

8 comments:

Becca said...

Ok, I have a secret. GL is the one soap opera that I watch with regularity. I was so saddened when I heard it was going to be canceled. I had hoped that maybe it might turn into an internet soap, but that was not to be. Now we are getting "Let's Make a Deal" in its place. Ugh.

giggles said...

I feel the same way about General Hospital. I used to watch it with my Mom when I was really little and she is 83 and still watches it. One day she call me to tell me Carley had been kidnapped. I was shocked!!! I thought she was talking about my neice Carley.. not a soap person!!!! My grandaughter knows that when GH is on its naptime.

Jaysey said...

Evidently, sopa operas will soon be a thing of the past. It's really kind of sad to think one day, they will all just cease to be.

Bev said...

I love soaps too!! I watch All My Children every day at lunch. But if I am home and sick I watch the Young and the Restless then AMC, then back to CBS for the afternoon of soaps. I grew up on them too!! My mom always had them on. Did you watch Search for Tomorrow and The Edge of Night?? See, you are not alone in your love of soaps!!

Gully Girl said...

Apparently you're a CBS soap lover. I am an ABC soap lover, but now that I don't get SoapNet anymore I don't get to see them very often! I watch All my Children and Days of Our Lives at lunch if I just eat here. Also like to watch Young and the Restless when I get the chance...my mom's always been into that one, too.

MyFrogs said...

Awe I grew up watching them with my mom and granma also. GL, Y&R, As the World Turns. GL and Y&R were always my favorites! I can't believe it's over! :(

Tracie said...

Day of our Lives was our tradition, my grandma, my mom & then me. But I eventullay ran out of time to keep up so I quit watching,, but back in the day when I was in high school and all I had to do was paint my nails & watch tv, it was Young & the Restless, Days, General Hospital (Dr Noah Drake- yumm) Santa Barbara.

Lynn said...

Oh my, Kat, I did the exact same thing! I hadn't watched GL in years, probably, but when I read it was going offair, I jumped right back on the bandwagon and have spent every day bawling my eyes out saying Goodbye to all my old friends. Seeing Fletcher yesterday made me screech! In my 40's and I actually screeched.