Embrace the Familiar

During my final weeks of college, my schedule was quite the contrary of being relaxed. I'm not sure if it was senioritis, the shear amount of deadlines that comes with 22 credit hours, or a combination of both, but I could not have been more excited to reach the finish line after that semester. One thing I found myself doing was having Wake Up Sid playing in the background with no explanation whatsoever. I really enjoyed the movie; it was cute, casual, and simple. I also wouldn't necessarily be actively watching it, but I'd just keep it playing as I completed lab reports, homework, or just general house dorm-keeping. And nights that I took off, I chose to Wake Up Sid, despite the hundreds of times it's been playing in the background.

I'll occasionally watch Wake Up Sid, even today. And every time I do, college memories transpire before me. Grade-school memories surface when I hear "Graduation," and yet those forms of media never get old. Why do we enjoy watching movies, TV Shows, and listening to the same song on repeat replay? True, there is a certain aura that appears. But, I think there's something more than nostalgia. What caused me to watch the same movie after a stressful day?

I believe there's a concept of familiarity that soothes us. The idea of watching a television show and not having to worry if it will be a good/bad episode, if it will make us happy/sad/frustrated/motivated is alleviating. By watching/hearing something you're familiar with, there's no element of surprise. And at the end of a stressful/long day, I think we could all enjoy some time to ourselves where we know what will happen and exactly how it will happen.

How ever choreographed we would like certain situations to be, life is full of surprises. Despite how hard we try to control situations, life has a way of working out that's beyond our control. And sometimes, it's the mystery under the tree that prompts us to keep unwrapping the presents, no matter how much tape or how strongly it is attached. So the rare moments when situations are choreographed, it's okay to embrace them.