Series ends, leaves impression on fans

Ida Scott Taylor once wrote: Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled by the future, for it has not yet come.  Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.

When I began watching the TV drama "One Tree Hill" when I was in junior high, I never thought it would grow to be what it is today - a source of wisdom on the trials of life, an uplifting story of love and friendship when a smile is needed and an opportunity to cry with characters when tears are running freely.

I sat in front of the television for two hours last night in disbelief that the show I have loyally watched for the past nine years was about to end and would never come on again. Sure there will be re-runs and marathons every now and then, but I will never again get to tune in to watch the latest happenings of those characters' lives unfold. I have seen every single episode of "One Tree Hill" and I never realized, until last night, how important the show is to me.

Surely, to most of you, I sound like a freak that is obsessed with some TV show about a group of people who live in some small town in North Carolina.  But, to those of you who have spent 22 hours every year watching the magic unfold just as I have, I am simply a bystander of a story that has taught me a lot about life, and I am not ready for the lessons to end.

I remember sitting on the couch in my living room week after week trying to figure out which character's life mine would end up being like.  Would I be the wounded girl who would move off to the big city once she finally found her calling like Brooke did?  Would I be like Haley and continue to sing as I had been since I was a little girl and even get a chance to go on tour, but quickly be drawn back to my small town by the strong force of love? Or, would I start my life with the love I would find in high school and live the dream for the rest of my life like we saw Peyton and Lucas get to do? 

As a young girl caught up in the possibilities my future held, I tried to model my life after the lives featured in "One Tree Hill," but in the end, I realized that my life became my own, guided by the lessons taught in my favorite television show.  The aforementioned quote, written by Ida Scott Taylor and reiterated by Lucas Scott, Chad Michael Murray, is but one of the phrases that showed me what life was all about.

Sure, I had family teaching me things throughout my adolescence, but it is different with family.  I was a teenage girl - there were many days I didn't want to listen to my mom even if I knew she was right. But, if it came from Lucas or Brooke or Peyton, then it caught my attention.  As I have grown older watching One Tree Hill, I have learned to appreciate its realness more than the love affairs or drama it displayed.  Those things were all intriguing and definitely kept me entertained, but it was the realism that inspired me.

In the documentary that preceded the series finale which featured various cast members reflecting on their nine years with the show, Creator Mark Schwahn said he was most proud that he was able to create something so real, something that people truly related to and learned from, and I agree. Looking back, I am by far most impressed and drawn to the actuality of the events and relationships that took place in One Tree Hill - a place that truly exists.

So, after the ridiculous tears I shed while watching the very last episode of my favorite show last night (just like millions of other girls did), I am left with a sad emotion resonating within me that I will never again feel that excitement as a new episode airs or the ache for Nathan to come home or for Lucas to just admit he loves Peyton. 

But, I am also left with a happiness that I got to enjoy something so great. Although it is just a TV show, and one that some of you problem don't even like, it was a part of my evenings for nine whole years, which in and of itself says something about the show. How many shows do you know of that have been successful for nine years and, when ended, still had fans who wanted more? There are very few of its kind. With that, I am saying "Goodbye" to "One Tree Hill," and thanks for the years of entertainment.