Dear My-So Called Life,

You were my most favorite television show growing up, and still hold that title. I remember watching you on Thursday nights on ABC, when I was about 12, and those few months you were on the air were so wonderful. Even though I was younger, I felt such a connection to Angela Chase. I often felt awkward like she did, and like her, I remember feeling like the world was so weird and strange and confusing, but yet so beautiful at the same time. I would wear my Doc Martens and steal my dad's flannel shirts, layering them over floral dresses, feeling "so Angela." When I first laid my little eyes on Jordan Catalano, I fell in love, right there in my living room. He made my preteen heart skip such a beat, and I really feel that somehow his character set a standard for the type of guy I wanted to date. Interestingly, this pattern is evident in many of the guys I would choose throughout middle school and part of high school. Throughout your run on television, you touched on so many issues that would later become very important to me. I would find my very own Rayannes throughout my teen years, some Rickies too, and of course many Sharons and a Brian or two along the way. I remember my 12-year old stomach flipping when Jordan and Angela shared their first kiss in his car, and feeling like I was right there with her when she did a hop, skip, and twirl when he drove away. Your episodes were so real to me, and as I grew up- finished middle school and attended high school- you became so much more relevant. Thank you for being an honest show, thank you for being something that I could relate to so much. It's funny, because as an adult, now I relate a lot to the older characters in the show. When the English teacher is reciting a Shakespeare poem, and suddenly Jordan has an a-ha moment in the back of the room- I got that. I felt what the teacher felt, and it was weird to me to relate to the instructor, rather than Jordan. But that's growing up. And I'm so happy to feel like my most favorite show will always be relevant. I watched Juno the other day and noticed a My So-Called Life reference, and it made me happy to know that someone out there "gets it," just like I do. Whether I'm 25 or 45, I know watching those episodes will take me all the way back- back to feeling like I'm 15 again, flirting with boys, driving around past curfew with my friends, trying to quietly slip back into my house so late at night, going to shows, sharing secrets, first kisses with "that" boy...

So thank you, My So-Called Life. You were an integral part of my adolescence, and I will always, always love you.

Sincerely,
Danielle