When TV Life Hits Home

Comedy Schitt’s Creek Has Some Lessons That Parallel Real Life

It is often said the life is stranger than fiction. I get that. When I first learned I had to have an ileostomy, I had mere hours to let the news soak in. I remember thinking, This can’t be…How could this happen to me…Why me? I own up to the fact that was me being at my self-absorbed worst. Underneath all of it, it did actually seem surreal.

There is also the other side of the coin…that time when a book you’re reading or a movie or show you’re watching really hits home. That’s the moment when you become part of that story and in some way, you start thinking That’s me. That’s my story. And at that moment, another of life’s lessons is learned.

That’s how it’s been for me with Netflix’s Schitt’s Creek. I was a bit late in following the series. In fact, I actually discovered it because my wife Michelle is a real Schitt’s Creek fan. Who would have thought, though, I’d find similarities between the Schitt’s Creek characters and myself? When the show started, the Rose family was oblivious, superficial, and mourning the loss of their ultra-wealthy lifestyle. But they evolved into something more and transformed into feeling, empathetic characters as the show progressed.

A New Jersey Kid With a Likeness to Johnny Rose

I know it sounds like a weird comparison: A middle class New Jersey 30-something who hails from a close-knit Italian family with values that are all about family life compared to the superficial Roses who are oblivious of the needs of others and mourning their once ultrawealthy life. Yup, believe it or not, it was in the Rose family evolution that I saw myself…not so much because of the behaviors that showed they were changing but in the endpoint to which their evolution took them. That endpoint was their heightened awareness and the gratitude and empathy they began to show to and for others.

=>    Alexis showing gratitude for her mother’s presence at her high school graduation with her singing group, the Jazzagals, who sang, “Baby I’m Yours,” and then the 4 Roses gathering together to celebrate with a cake.

=>     Alexis, recognizing she wasn’t the best fit for the job at the veterinarian’s office which she got because of her relationship with the veterinarian, Ted. The new job candidates she realized had studied for work with animals and were better suited to the position.

=>     Moira and Johnny Rose going out to dinner with Jocelyn and Roland Schitt and some long-time friends from their former life. When the old friends made nasty jokes about Schitt’s Creek and the people who lived there, it angered Johnny. He came to the defense of the people in Schitt’s Creek and showed gratitude to Jocelyn and Roland who were always there with help for the Rose’s when they needed it.  

2 Journeys With a Common End

In a similar way, my ostomy journey, though different than the Rose’s journey, caused me to evolve. It took me from an accommodating, perhaps complacent person accepting of things in my own life and the lives of those around me to one who’s more aware...and, as a result more empathetic to what others are experiencing and feeling. You know, you go about your daily life and then something major happens and this makes you more in tune to other people’s struggles. In the case of the Roses, it’s their family that first comes together. They are all of a sudden more sensitive to the needs of each other. When I came home from my ileostomy surgery, I began to realize I was not alone. Perhaps more important, I became aware that others were challenged in similar ways, but each individual faced their own trials and had their own unique story.

Lemons to Lemonade

There’s a touch of irony in the fact that it’s only when things turn sour that our awareness deepens. It’s kind of the flip side of a bad coin…a place at which growth and good happen…a time and place at which Ostoh will help others.

Life has an unusual way of pushing us to where we need to go. To me, that’s what Ostoh is all about. 

If you’re interested in learning more about Ostoh and how it might increase your comfort, email us at hello@ostoh.com or use our contact form. Our goal is to make your ostomy life easier and make you feel what it means to be yourself.