One Tree Hill Synopsis: High School students make their way through with their lives revolving around basketball, music, and relationships. The story revolves around the lives of two brothers sharing the same father, a strict, emotional abuser. One grew up with a laid back, alcoholic mother, while the other grew up with a devoted, hard working mother. The two were brought together by the praised sport in their town of Tree Hill: basketball. The two find themselves in good and bad relationships with their friends, girls, and each other. The nine seasons follow their lives through high school, college, marriage, careers and death.
After repeatedly rejecting my roommate’s idea of starting a Netflix series, I gave in. And it didn’t take much time to get through the series. Since the first week of school, I had been hearing about how I should start watching and I always said I didn’t have the time and I didn’t want it to take over the time I should be studying. Well, I watched one episode and ended up making the time–occasionally when I probably should’ve been sleeping.
All of a sudden there was always time to watch–whether it was after a fifty-minute class, a meal, swim practice, club meeting, or even nap, anywhere from one to eight episodes was definitely acceptable, in fact I came to realize it was socially acceptable. People around me were doing the exact same thing! I found it much easier to be more stressed out about Brooke Davis’ problems than my own.
Throughout the many hours it took to get through the nine seasons, there are many relatable and accurate details that have deeper meanings than some might expect from this show. These are the 12 things I learned:
1. Crying is 100% okay and should never make you feel weak.
Jamie: “My mama told me that, sometimes people have to cry out all their tears to make room for a heart full of smiles.”
2. Whether you’re facing your fear of the ocean or heights, you must go into it head on.
Quinn: “What are you doing?”
Clay: “Facing the immensity I guess.”
3. Lazy days should not be frowned upon. Want to wear pajamas for 24 hours? Do it.
Alex: “I’m so sleepy and you’re so talky.”
4. Believe in love.
Peyton: “This is real isn’t it? And if it’s not, I never want to wake up from it.”
5. The more mature you act, the more mature you’re treated.
Deb: “Since it’s just you and me tonight, I am going to let you stay up past bedtime and watch Thomas & Friends.”
Jamie: “I’d rather watch Gossip Girl. It’s so bad for me.”
6. Surround yourself with the kind of people you’ll never want to be away from. They won’t always be there.
Nathan: “It’s hard when you miss people. But you know, if you miss them, it means you were lucky. It means you had someone special in your life, someone worth missing.”
7. Appreciate the moments you have with people before time’s up.
Peyton: “People always leave.”
8. Say what you need to say in any way you can.
Haley: “Sometimes people write the things that they can’t say.”
9. Don’t wait for things to happen.
Whitey: “Every day you wait is another day you’ll never get back again.”
10. The only thing that matters is how you see yourself.
Brooke: “People are gonna label you. It’s how you overcome those labels, that’s what matters.”
11. Fear shouldn’t stop you from doing.
Lucas: “Maybe you are ready but you’re just scared.”
12. Winning those little personal battles, even against your can of “unopenable” soup, makes the whole day better.
Clay: “Oh yes! Suck it soup!”
13. And finally, every word to “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw.
“I don’t want to be anything other than what I’ve been trying to be lately.”