Thank You and Fuck You
I have watched Ted Lasso at least a dozen times through all three seasons now. Some might think this is a problem... I happen to agree. I watch an abhorrent amount of TV and movies (I'm watching another movie right now as I right this). One thing that always strikes me from this scene in season 3 of Ted Lasso is how on the nose it is about processing a life-long grief.
Losing a Parent
Most of us will outlive our parents and I am convinced that it doesn't matter when you experience this type of loss it sticks with you. Other people will always recite their favorite platitudes about loss and grief. Thinks like "time heals all things" or "this never goes away but it does get easier." Blah, blah, blah...
I am not in a great headspace now so it surely comes off like I do not appreciate people trying to provide comfort. This is not true. I genuinely do appreciate the attempt, but what I have come to realize is that those "waves" of grief that hit after years and years can be nearly as crushing as any others. However, after two decades it doesn't really feel like I have the space to feel these feels when they do hit.
If anyone out there is reading this, I am with you. Feel what you feel and know that you are not alone.
Why the Saucy Title?
Now that my mini-rant is done. This particular episode of Ted Lasso where he finally expresses how much his mother's decisions hurt him when he was a teenager and his father killed himself. Mamma Lasso was just doing the best she could and trying to protect him, but years later Ted is still process the grief. This strikes so close to home because I was furious with my dad for years after my mom died. I logically recognized that we were all grieving and he was doing the best he could, but that didn't change the fact that every action he took only added to the my score card of things that pissed me off.
We can neither predict when we will get hit by grief or sadness nor can we predict how we will respond to it. We just roll with the punches and do our best to stay upright. I love the way that the writers portrayed this interaction in the show (honestly most of the show has fantastic writing and acting throughout). Dotty was not prepared for Ted's lashing and she showed it on her face, but both Ted and Dotty recovered and ended up having a nice dinner and end to her trip.
I really don't have anything to softly close this out so I will toss it up to a rant and leave it at that. I am sure there will be more.