Sometimes TV shows remind us of the importance of the everyday. I recently watched a rerun of the last episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” primarily written by Phil Rosenthal and Ray Ramono. In it, Ray has trouble waking up after minor surgery. After he is home and fine, his wife Debra tears up when she tells him about errands and household chores she plans to do. She is still reeling from those thirty seconds when she thought she had lost him. She is thankful to be able to do tedious tasks that might normally annoy her.
The same week I watched the last two episodes of “Young Sheldon,” created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro. In those, the main characters are getting ready for a family portrait while waiting for George Sr. to get home. Instead, there is a knock on the door. George had a heart attack at work and didn’t survive.
The writers and actors in both shows portrayed very real situations. Everyday life is a string of moments where we mostly perform mundane tasks, but every now and then something will jolt us into appreciating the very things that sometimes annoy us. Everyone gets a phone call or knock on the door sometime in their lives.
On a recent road trip, my husband and I had to take a detour from the interstate. The interstate was closed because of a fatal accident. A family somewhere was getting a phone call or knock on the door. After getting through the detour, we were delayed again because of another accident. We saw three smashed cars when we were able to get by.
Before knowing why the interstate was closed and about the second accident, we were frustrated about the delays. After knowing that someone died in the first and seeing the aftermath of the second, we were just thankful to be home. It could have been us in those accidents, but it wasn’t. No one would get a phone call or knock on the door about us that day. I could only pray for the families who did. Their everydays will never be the same.