“I’d rather take coffee than compliments right now.” —Little Women
Over the course of seven seasons, the world got to know Rory Gilmore for her sharp wit, her quick tongue, and her obsession with coffee. Throughout this time, Rory graduated high school and college, keeping her own dreams without needing the approval or compliment from those she met along the way.
With the revival of Gilmore Girls on Netflix, new generations of viewers will get to know the grace, the brains, the vulnerability, the mistakes, and everything else that made Rory Gilmore a phenomenal role model.
Richard Gilmore once said of his granddaughter that “what she tackles, she conquers,” and this, above all else, is clear throughout the show. The Gilmore girls conquer their fears. They live, they love, and they are an example by which we can live. And if we can live like Rory Gilmore, I think the future of our world may be just as bright and vivacious as Rory herself.
So what can we take from Rory to apply to our own lives?
1. Love with your whole heart because who doesn’t want a nice rocket?
2. Trust your instincts, even if it means getting your own avocado tree.
3. Work hard because even if you have to send out seventy-five resumes, it only takes one to land that dream job.
4. And speaking of dreams, hold tight to your own because you never know when you’ll get the “big envelope.”
5. Talk fast because life is short.
6. Stay caffeinated because without the coffee you can’t do the things, and we need everyone to be doing everything they can!
In her valedictory address, Rory says of her mother, Lorelei Gilmore: “[She] never gave me any idea that I couldn’t do whatever I wanted to do, or be whomever I wanted to be.” This sentiment is still as poignant now as it was then, and for us Gilmore girls and guys, we can say this of the coffee-addicted, mother-daughter duo who will bring us back to Stars Hollow in just a few short weeks.
While you watch this revival with plenty of pizza and pop tarts and Rory moments, admire the way she conquers the obstacles of this millennial life, and conquer your own!
P.S. Where you lead, we will follow, Rory.