A Song, Book or Movie that Lifts My Spirits

I've written about several different songs that I identify with.  From the soaring "Defying Gravity" from Wicked to the hopeful "Heaven When We're Home" by the Wailin' Jennys there are a few songs that I can put on that - when applied en masse - can usually pull me out of a slump.

There are plenty of books that I enjoy escaping into - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Bossypants by Tina Fey, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  While they range from riotously funny to downright heartwrenching - they don't necessarily lift my spirits.

But there is something that I can count on - no matter how black my mood is, no matter how big a pity party I am throwing, no matter how low I feel - to raise my spirits every time: A little trip to Pawnee, Indiana.  There is something about the TV show Parks and Recreation that makes me happy to be alive.  It could be the array of eccentric characters who are apologetically themselves.

It could be the snappy writing and the editing that makes you feel like you're hanging out with these characters.  But, I actually think it's the unbridled optimism of the main character, Leslie Knope, that I love so much.  Leslie is an unabashed overachiever.

She's enthusiastic about her job and her community and her friends.

I just feel such a connection to her.

I too am super chill all the time - just like this.

The fact that she is played hilariously by Amy Poehler is just icing on the cake.  The show isn't as densely packed with jokes as my other absolute favorite - 30 Rock - but it has something wide-eyed and hopeful about it that the more snarky 30 Rock doesn't.

So anytime my spirits need a little lift, I just take a little vacation to  Pawnee - where the children are morbidly obese, the raccoons run rampant, and the waffles are plentiful!