On Thursday, The Office aired their goodbye episode to Michael Scott (Steve Carell). As a die hard fan of Carell's character, I now view the show as a sinking ship-sadly. Producers have come up with a quick fix with Will Ferrell, but it appears that his managerial role will be short lived. No matter what big hitter they get, they won't be able to fill Michael Scott's shoes. The Office has been a tv. staple in our home ever since it's beginning in 2005. The dead pan humor struck a chord with me immediately, and I had loved Steve Carell in Anchorman. I have been frustrated about the departure of Michael Scott, but I had no idea how deepily it would impact me.
In 2005, we were three years into our infertility journey. At that point, doctors had been consulted, meds administered, various treatments tried. I had taken a break from teaching fulltime to have a more flexible schedule for doctor's appointments. In order to bring in additional income, I had started a home based tutoring business. My life was pretty quiet, and I was in desperate need of an escape. In the evenings, Billy and I found very few shows we liked to watch together, but we gave The Office a chance. I liked it immediately, and Billy needed some time to warm up to it. Soon enough, I was a fanatic. At first I would do nerdy stuff like quote lines from the show "that's what she said" or we would religiously dvr when we weren't able to watch. Then I became a hard core fan by owning seasons of the show and watching various episodes over and over again when I especially needed a good laugh. (My favorite is "The Injury.")
Thursday night's farewell to Steve Carell episode had the following premise: Michael Scott had made a list of all his coworkers, and he crossed their names off the list after he was able to say something special to them or give them some kind of momento. All of his coworkers were under the impression that the next day was his last day. However, secretly he planned that the current day would be his last. He had his special moments with all of his coworkers with the exception of Pam, who was supposedly running a work errand. Just before the taxi arrived to pick him up for the airport, Jim (Pam's husband) figured out that that was Michael Scott's last day. Michael said goodbye to everyone in the office, the rest of them completely unaware that he was not returning the next day. Michael Scott was transported to the airport, and the audience was convinced that he had missed his opportunity with Pam. However, just as Michael was about to board his plane, Pam showed up just at the nick of time (obviously she had been running because she was carrying her heels). They shared a very sweet moment embracing and saying their goodbyes. At this point in the episode, I completely lost it. I was literally sobbing as I watched this. Billy did his usual thing when I cry over sappy stuff-point and laugh. He asked me, "Really, Heather? Why?"
I thought a minute, and realized how profound the exit of Michael Scott was. I had relied on his antics and that of Dwight's for the majority of our infertility journey. He had put a smile on my face and helped me laugh during my darkest of times. However, I no longer need his comedic relief. The dark days are gone. My joy has been restored. On to the next phase of our lives. God has blessed us with Liam. Goodbye, Michael Scott. Hello, Liam.
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