Defying Gravity

I am a big believer that too much tv totally rots your brain. That said - I am in love with this new show on ABC. Defying Gravity.


It is about a group of astronauts that have been selected to complete a mission to Venus. Some of the science is a bit iffy but a lot of the explanations are fantastic - I particularly liked the way they worked Schrödinger's cat and fractals into the episode that played tonight (considering those are two of my favorite scientific principles). I really like the complex relationships that we see evolving through flashbacks of when the astronauts were together in training. They seem a lot more realistic than a lot of shows that are out there today, relationships are hard, they don't always work out, they almost never work out the way we think they should and the dynamics between people can change dramatically over time.

That's something I've been thinking a lot about lately as I evaluate the relationships I have with those around me. I am a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a teacher, a colleague and sometimes I am just a random stranger. I can choose how I let these interactions shape me and how I choose to shape others. Just like the relationships on the Antares and those of the crew with those left behind on Earth, the relationships in my life are in some cases complicated, sometimes superficial and sometimes life-changing. The conclusion I am coming to is that no matter how hard or how convoluted the relationships we have are an integral part of who we are and more importantly they help shape who we become. The ones that end in tears and heartbreak have as much value as the ones that lead to happily ever after. In the end who I am is the result of the sum of all these relationships regardless of how they turned out, knowing that and knowing I have choice in how I let relationships affect me is one of the most profound lessons that I have learned so far.