While all the talk and attention this season has been about the series finale of Game of Thrones, the same week a series finale of a show I have watched for a LOT of years aired: The Big Bang Theory. And while no series finale can please everyone, I really enjoyed this ending. While a light-hearted comedy throughout, this show oftentimes bumped up against important life themes like friendships, relationships, and compromise.
In the last episode, Sheldon gives a heartfelt speech to show his appreciation for the important people in his life. This was out-of-character for a guy who viewers often ask "Why are they even friends with him?" after he insults, belittles, or infuriates them. The speech came after his wife, Amy confronts him in this scene:
Sheldon: How can you call them friends when they are abandoning us?
Amy: They're abandoning us because you broke their hearts.
Sheldon: I didn't mean to.
Amy: I know. You never mean to. That's the only reason people tolerate you.
Something about that really hit Sheldon hard...and it stuck with me as well. Friends and family can hurt us the most because we care about them and their opinions and reactions the most. But actions or words don't always reflect intentions. Advice from a parent may make you feel embarrassed or annoyed when really the fact that they are there to give their input is an extraordinary act of caring. A friend might not listen to you when you really want them to or may hurt your feelings, but you know that in an emergency, they would drop everything to help. If you know that about someone...they care. In Big Bang Theory, Sheldon annoyed the living hell out of everyone, but he was always there for people. While his help wasn't always ideal, showing up is caring. I say the wrong thing all the time, but I hope the people I care about know that those in-the-heat-of-the-moment words don't reflect my heart.
There's a million ways to show you care about someone. Try to look past the small moments and look at the bigger heart of people. And, like Sheldon, also take time to be explicit and say the words sometimes too.
