|
General Hospital:
The Second Installment
A few journal entries ago, I wrote about my passion for the soap opera
General Hospital. I'm going to continue my explanation of what I find so compelling about this show that I would tape it every
day for so many years and watch it so much.
When I watch General Hospital, all of my stress, worries, anxiety and concerns get refocused - to the characters' stress, worries,
anxiety and concerns. For some reason, this takes focus off myself and I find it relaxing. It also amuses me to see what these
characters' issues are versus what my issues are. My issues are the typical normal persons' issues: success, love, family, money
(not in that order of course). But often I am most stressed out about smaller more detailed issues like scheduling a haircut,
calling my grandparents, paying my bills on time, ordering my Green Mountain Coffee online before I run out, cleaning out my email
account.
These type activities are unseen by the General Hospital addict viewer. We are only allowed to see the big issues: success, love,
family, money. Or maybe the little ones don't exist? But how can someone live in this world and not deal with the daily details
that make up our lives? That's just it - it's NOT reality, it's their world, and their issues are blown up and almost cartoonish
because they are exaggerated so much. I find this amusing. I find that when I can concentrate on the bigger issues of the
characters instead of my smaller issues it relaxes me.
I have also learned to care about these characters, almost as if they are kind of annoying but entertaining friends. A few hours
here and there, but would I want to watch them every day all the time? No. Gotta make sure I don't substitute their world for mine.
But when I do turn it on I immediately get sucked into that fake world, where big problems rule and are soooo dramatic and I
somehow let my own issues melt away.
|