Since I can remember, Gilmore Girls has been one of my all time favorite shows. Aside from the Lorelai’s great taste in movies, music and books, the show is filled with quirky moments that make you love each character from day one. To top it off Lorelai and Rory have a mother/daughter relationship anyone would covet. Now that all its seasons are on Netflix I have been binge watching from episode 1. (Not that I needed Netflix as an excuse considering I own every season on DVD). Now, as I devour the series episode by episode I find that there are more and more lessons I can take an apply to my own life as I struggle to get through my post-grad life.

Don’t get me wrong, graduating from college is a huge deal for me and I am so happy to not have to sit through 8:00am classes. No more all-nighters at the library and Starbucks runs to keep my brain somewhat alive and no more stressing over midterm and finals week. Aside from that, I’ve spent a better half of this year – since graduation and my travels – in some serious grievance, wishing I could go back and re-live my college days.

Life after graduation is not all fun and games. As soon as you move back home, to a new city or wherever it may be, it’s constant applications, interviews and relatives bombarding you with questions you have NO IDEA how to answer.

“What’s your next step?”

“Do you have a job?”

“Where have you applied?”

“What does this have to do with your major?”

“Are you going to grad school?”

The list goes on and on…

Here are some things I’ve seen on Gilmore Girls that we can all apply to our Post-Grad lives (or really to any point in our lives). Enjoy!

1. Plans – and goals – can change, just go with it. 

Rory planned for Harvard pretty much all her life. She was set on attending Harvard until the very last minute. Everyone in town knew; everyone at Chilton knew, and even her Grandparents – Yale alumni – knew, and supported her (to an extent). As if that weren’t enough of a giveaway, her entire room was covered in Harvard Crimson. Of course, Rory got in to all the schools she applied to and she almost picked Harvard, but in the end she  went to Yale.

This wasn’t the plan, but as we all know, plans change and that is OK. 

Sometimes, we think we know what we want and we plan and are convinced its the only route for us, then another offer comes along and our world hurls out of control and we no longer know what to do. This is normal. For the first time in our lives, our future isn’t mapped out in front of us, our ideals change, our needs change, everything changes.

It’s ok to modify your plans. And sure, not everyone has a choice like Harvard and Yale (we can only wish), but the point is that we follow our hearts and needs and make choices that will make US happy and hopefully, better people.

2. Your independence comes at a cost, but so does your dependence.

Lorelai left from her home in Hartford and moved to the small town of Stars Hallow as soon as Rory was born so she could escape from her parents rule. She never really felt like she fit in, or made them proud and in the end her only option was to leave and start off on her own. And like any great woman, she did it! This of course lasted until she needed some financial help in order to pay for Rory’s private school tuition.

Her parents agree to help with one condition – Friday night dinners, every Friday, no excuses.

Sound familiar?

You just graduated college, you decide that while you can gain some stability you’ll move home. It’s the perfect solution – your mom will cook homemade food, no rent, no utilities, no cable and internet bills. It’s a huge relief to your bank account which for the past 4 years (more or less) has been sending you alerts about your low balance, nearly giving you a heart attack every time.

Your relief is immense until your mom starts asking you for help around the house. Your curfew is suddenly 1:00am and you receive constant texts asking for your whereabouts.

Like Lorelai, you want your freedom and independence, I mean, you made it through college on your own, you can do anything. But your dependence on someone – free rent, utilities and cable/internet – come at a price. Post-grad life is about figuring out which means more to you: the break your get from your family’s help, or your independence.

3. Learn to take risks. 

While at Yale, Rory learns about The Life and Death Brigade (LDB), a secret society club famous for its dangerous stunts. Logan, Rory’s boyfriend, at one point takes Rory to a couple of the Life and Death Brigade events. Its motto is ‘In Omnia Paratus’, which means ‘ready for anything’. He encourages Rory to be less timid and to become involved in her story for the school paper by taking some part in the Life and Death Brigade’s risky events.

Life after college is certainly no Life and Death Brigade event, but there are several risks yo have to be willing to take. Some people have the opportunity to move across the state, city or even the world. Some have chose between their dream opportunity and an opportunity that seems “safe.”

Whether you’re thinking about becoming completely independent or financially responsible, or moving to a place where you don’t know a soul, we can take a lesson from the LDB and take a risk. After all “people can live a hundred years not really living for a minute” to make the most of our lives – even after the fun of college is over – we have to be ready for anything and willing to take risks.

4. When you don’t know what to say, sarcasm is always a good idea. 

If anyone knows about frustrating questions, its the Lorelai Gilmore. She doesn’t always have the answer but she always has sarcasm and a ton of wit. Her answers and comebacks don’t always satisfy people, but it sure gets them to shut up. When the conversation is over they’re always a little confused but definitely charmed.

Getting your life and yourself together can be quite the challenge. It’s not something that’s going to happen from day to night and there will always be people around you who voice their concerns (hint: They only ask because they care). Still, sometimes we don’t know how to answer the questions they have and it can be a little  Extremely frustrating. The last and best thing we can learn from our favorite Gilmore Girls is that sarcasm is always a good idea.

5. Fate: Know that where you are is exactly where you are meant to be.

On Luke and Lorelai’s first real date, Luke shows Lorelai the horoscope she handed him the day they first met, 8 years before. She on that horoscope “You will meet an annoying woman today, give her coffee and she’ll go away.” Between their first meeting and first date, both dated many people, Lorelai almost got married, Luke got married AND divorced and there were many things that led to this day. In spite of all these events, every moment was leading up to when they would realize they should be together.

The point is, there are many things happening in your life right now and some may not make sense and you may not know where your life will lead to next. But, if we can learn anything from Luke and Lorelai, it’s that we are exactly where we are meant to be. All of these moments of our life – and figuring out our life – are all for a greater purpose. Maybe you’re already there you just don’t know it quite yet.