Glee Gets it Right Again

I’m a little late on the last episode of Glee—thank goodness for DVRs. But as usual, this week’s episode was full of some worthy messages more than good enough for grown-ups.

Mr. Shu had a big lesson this week... (Image: Fox.com)

The part I liked most was how they took it to the next level of liking yourself. Here’s what I mean: We’ve all heard that we should like ourselves and that we want people to love us for our best parts. If you’re hilarious, you want a partner who appreciates your unique humor. If you’re great a playing music, you want a partner who loves what you create. If you’re a great storyteller, you want someone who enjoys listening. If you’re a fab cook, you want a partner who will savor your flavors with groans of appreciation.

But it’s another thing to take it to the next level of self-esteem, the kind that leads to a confidence your half-orange can’t help but be drawn straight toward like a vacation magnet to your home fridge. Take it from our new favorite TV teacher, Will Schuester a.k.a. Mr. Schue (played by Matthew Morrison) in this speech he gave Lea Michele’s “Rachel”:

“I know that there are some things about yourself you think you’d like to change. You should know there’s some boy out there who’s going to like you for everything you are—including those parts of you that even you don’t like. Those are going to be the things he likes the most.”

What a great point Mr. Schue’s got there! All of us have parts about our personalities we don’t entirely love, and habits we’d pull back on if we could. I, for example, think I’m a little too addicted to popcorn—four times a week is a lot. And though I worried that the guys I’d want to be with would be turned off by my pop-session for it, my husband thinks my love for it is one of the cutest things he’s ever seen. (God bless him.)

Oh, and I also loved the advice of Sarah Drew’s character of Suzy Pepper:

“You need to find some self-respect, Rachel. Get that mildy attractive groove back.”

Ha, right? That’s just to keep your humor about yourself in check. Keep focusing on meeting someone who will love the things about you that you love—and who’ll also love the things you don’t. That’s where the magic and the glee really comes in.

You might also like:
Oh, Sherri: Her Lessons in Love!
A Glee-ful Reminder

Big love,