We recently wrapped up season two of “Friday Night Lights,” having only completed season one a few weeks ago.
That’s the benefit of watching a TV series on Netflix — when you find something you love, you can go on a bender, watching several episodes in a sitting.
I’d heard about “Friday Night Lights,” but figured a show about high school football in a small town in Texas probably wasn’t for me.
Enough people urged us to give it a try that finally John put it on our Netflix queue and I was totally hooked.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG37AylK1_s]
But this isn’t just a post promoting our new favorite TV show — it’s about saying yes to new things.
I’d prejudged this show and decided I wasn’t interested, before I’d ever seen a single episode. I was like a little kid scrunching up my face at peas, determined I’d hate them without even tasting them.
Certainly I should know better.
I didn’t think I’d like New Orleans Jazz Fest — even opted out while John went without me — but when I finally gave it a try, I loved it and the city.
I used to hate olives  — then made the effort to learn about different kinds of olives, and discovered what I hated were not all olives but just the nasty canned kind commonly found on pizzas.
In an even more direct comparison, I resisted watching the updated “Battlestar Galactica” because I assumed I wouldn’t like a sci-fi show. We were hooked from the very first episode.
Not unlike Doug and Claire on “Portlandia”:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQttrkzWOo4]
Recently I read an article that extolled the virtues of saying yes to new experiences, explaining that you’re either expanding or contracting your life experiences, and we benefit from expansion.
And what’s the worst that can happen? Unless we’re talking about becoming a meth addict or crashing a car during an illegal drag race, how many new experiences have much of a downside?
Try a new food you hate? So what? Go see a terrible band, or watch a lousy TV show, or try a new hobby that doesn’t work for you? None of that’s fatal.
The upside could be discovering new love.
Gotta sign off. Coach Taylor is waiting.