5 Lessons I Learned From Loving “The Office”

Pam Halpert and I are tight. Over the years I’ve gotten incredibly close with the characters in “The Office,” my favorite show of all time. When it ended, what was I to do? Well, actually, this is what I did: I came up with a list of things I learned from all my favorite episodes.

1. Some things are worth the wait. Jim loved Pam from the pilot episode, even though she had been engaged for something like twenty years. I joke. But really, if Jim had given up just because Pam was with someone else or because she told him no at the end of season two (Who can forget the end of season two?!), everything would be different. Now I’m not saying you need to wait around for a guy or girl to realize what a prize you are, because sometimes, things don’t work out. But, with ole PB and J, they were obviously meant to be and, for Jim, I’d say it was worth the wait.

2. You’re stronger than you think. My very favorite episode is in season three when they have “Beach Day.” Michael thinks he’s secured a job at corporate, and he is testing out his potential replacements: Jim, Dwight, Andy, and Stanley. Pam, meanwhile, has to take notes of what everyone is doing and saying in order to help Michael make this tough decision. But when it comes time to do the coal walk, the only person brave enough to do it is Pam (with the exception of Dwight, but…) Anyway. After Pam manages this feat, she lets her coworkers know that it hurt her feelings that they didn’t come to her art show and she tells Jim that she misses him. It is my favorite moment on the show because we get to see how much she’s changed and grown. I’m so glad they waited for her to be okay being by herself before she and Jim get together. So many people go from relationship to relationship, believing that the person they are with is what defines them. But Pam grew strong while she was single and showed that she would be okay on her own.

3. Don’t let pride get the best of you. It’s totally okay to be proud of who you are and the things you’ve accomplished in life. But sometimes, we let it go to our heads and it comes back to bite us. Angela Martin is a character that I always really liked, even though she is so straight-laced. I love her secret relationship with Dwight, especially when she gets him the Dwight bobble-head doll. I love her engagement to Andy and her tiny pregnant belly in season eight. But I hate when she loses everything in the last season. As if she hasn’t been through enough, she has to move into a tiny little apartment with her baby and plethora of cats. It’s so sad when anyone gets dealt a bad hand, but it’s especially hard to watch when it’s someone as prideful as Angela. I love, though, that Oscar reaches out to her in her time of need, letting her stay with him rather than in a tent. No matter how prideful Angela was, she had friends that were there for her, no matter what.

4. Never give up on your dreams. Though it seemed like Dwight would never get what he wanted, he didn’t give up. Sure, he screwed up when he fired that gun in the office while he was acting manager, but everyone makes mistakes, right? He continued to work hard, consistently making the most sales of all the salesmen at Dunder Mifflin, and loved that company more than anything. In season nine, when he finally receives his black belt, he chooses to have the ceremony at Dunder Mifflin because he loves it so much. I’m only slightly surprised he didn’t have it on his beet farm, but hey, it’s good to have options. Dwight eventually gets what he always wanted — the job as Regional Manager — because he stuck with it and didn’t give up on his dreams. No matter how big or small your dreams may be, Dwight is proof that they can definitely come true.

5. Fairy tales aren’t real. In season nine, viewers get a taste of what it’s like when something that seems absolutely perfect is not. After getting together in season four, Jim and Pam just seemed so happy. They were cute and funny and in love, and, even when Pam had to go to New York for three months, there weren’t really any issues with their relationship. In season nine, when Jim accepts a job in another city without telling Pam, though, the couple go through some really difficult times. The fights they have are so real and I think a lot of couples can relate to them. I love that The Office shows that realness in Jim and Pam’s marriage. They fight, yes, but they also get through it. It’s refreshing that we get to see a real relationship played out, no matter how perfect or imperfect it may seem.

Maegan Dockery is a marketing coordinator at a local credit union in Rome, GA. You can follow her on Instagram @maeganld214.