The first time I watched Grace & Frankie on Netflix, I immediately knew I would learn a whole lot from Frankie Bergstein.
Thus began my story of taking inspiration from one of the most authentic characters out there.
Frankie is exceptionally real and raw. She has an understanding and a love of herself that few people seem to find in life, and God knows I want to find it. This character has a lot of good qualities, but she also has many flaws, and those flaws never seem to bother her that much. Whenever someone points them out to her, annoyed and exasperated, she never takes it personally. Her mood isn’t ruined by them. She laughs it off and does not try to change, because she knows they aren’t hurting anyone. That, to me, is one of the hardest places to get to, but it’s possible.
My flaws always get the better of me, and they are pretty similar to hers; forgetful, impractical, idealistic, odd, childlike… Seeing these reflected in her makes me question my whole relationship with my shortcomings. Watching her, I find them endearing, which means that they could be endearing in me too.
There are two ways to handle weaknesses. Like me, you can hate yourself for them, wishing you could change, while your mood takes dips daily. Or, like Frankie, you can embrace them completely and move on with your life. Obviously, we all need to learn that from her.
So I have decided that I will practice her way of handling positively what others see as negative about her. My flaws are human. They are delightful most of the time and infuriating sometimes, but that doesn’t make me a bad person. I’m good, and I still deserve all the love I need. It is extremely difficult to feel that completely, but I’m sure I will get there one day. I want to let go of punishing myself for not being perfect. I want to accept my imperfections, laugh them off, and find more time to look at everything that’s right about myself, and there is a lot.
The Stories We Tell 