As the World Turns

I found myself with an unusual item on my to-do list last Friday. Underneath the list of normal chores (laundry, grocery shopping), I wrote “As the World Turns.” I had talked to my grandma the day before, and she lamented how her soap (or her “story,” as she calls it) was having its final episode on Friday and she wouldn’t be able to watch it. She said, “I’ve been watching this show for over 50 years and I won’t get to see how it ends!” She already had an event planned with family on Friday, and she thought it would be silly to cancel because of a TV show. So I added it to my to-do list, and I watched it for her. Well, truthfully, I was working at home that afternoon, so I got to see only bits and pieces of it. I had never seen the show before, so I had no idea what the characters’ names were, or what was going on. But I tried my best to memorize what was happening. I finally got the chance to talk to my grandma today. I’m sure if anyone overheard our conversation, they would have laughed. I’d try to tell her something that happened – something like, “there was this girl that got engaged” – and she’d ask a question that I could not answer. “Was it Katie?” she asked. “I have no idea,” I’d reply. Our conversation continued like that. I tried to at least describe the characters – “you know, the dark-haired girl” – and that helped a bit. Finally, I think I’ve managed to convince her to go to my aunt’s house (who lives near her) and watch the full episode on cbs.com. I hate that she’s invested so much time in the show never to see the ending. (And my poor recap definitely doesn’t count.) And for proof that the world – and TV – still turns, I already gave her a recap of another show she likes: Dancing with the Stars. Thankfully, I already know all the characters on that show.