Have you ever gone to church, the preacher starts preaching, and you relate to the sermon so much you swear he/she is talking to you? I have had those moments so many times. It’s almost as if he/she has been following you around or peeping in your window. I also have the moments with television shows. I had that very feeling recently with an episode of the show This Is Us. If you aren’t caught up you may not want to read any further cause there will be spoilers.
I am with millions of people who sit down and watch this is us every week. If I don’t catch the episode that night I will watch it first chance I get on the app. My favorite couple is Randall and Beth. I can relate to this couple on so many levels. Not just because they are black. But because I can relate to some of the struggles they have in their marriage. Just like I can relate to some of the struggles that Jack and Rebecca had. But Beth and Randall are so much closer to me than Rebecca and Jack. Beth is my all time favorite character. That woman is so strong and amazing. I love the actor who portrays her because she does such a wonderful job.
Beth is so great to me because she is a perfect fit for Randall but she is also her own person. In marriage you are suppose to marry the person who you not only love but balances you out, knows when to support you, knows when to push you, knows when to back off, knows when to put their foot down, and knows when to ring you in. Beth is all of these things for Randall and so much more. I knew she was amazing from the moment he brought his birth dad home unexpectedly. She was his ride or die when he decided to quit his job, bought an apartment building, decided to foster a child, and then decided to run for Philadelphia city council. She has really been there for him. The awesome supportive wife. But in the midst of all that is going on with Randall poor Beth has been going through some things herself like losing her job and figuring out her next step. She helped Randall with his campaign. At one point she thought he should give up because she didn’t think he was going to win. So she asked him to drop out and he said no. She continued to support until he won.
Now let’s fast forward a little Beth figured out her next step which was dance. She decided she wanted to teach dance. She wanted to be a dancer as a child but her mom told her she had to choose another career because she wasn’t going to support it after her dad died. There is a little more to this story but you’ll have to watch that episode yourself. With her being a dance teacher and Randall winning office it left the children’s schedule and everything else needing to be worked out. Her schedule is not set and neither is Randall’s. So of course they had some things to figure out. Being that Randall had just won office of course it took priority over Beth’s job. Beth was not feeling it. She didn’t want to give up her dream yet again like she had done when she was a child and she was unwilling to give it up. She wasn’t going to be the dancer she wanted to be but she was going to teach it. So when Randall suggested it she let him know exactly how she felt. Again you will have to watch the episode to see exactly what she said but she basically told him that she wasn’t going to bend anymore. She said that she was upset that he let her bend. He let her forget who she was.
I could so relate to Beth in this episode. Everything she said in this episode I have so felt at one point or the other. I have wanted to say the very words she said. There have been so many times I wanted to ask why me. Why do I have to make the sacrifice? Why do I have to give up? Why isn’t my job seen as important? Why don’t you understand where I am coming from? Why is my job minimized? Why are my dreams and goals dispensable?
La La Land Mommy: Thank You, Beth
I am jealous because she had the courage to say exactly what she felt. She didn’t only place blame she accepted her own blame. She admitted that she allowed herself to forget about herself and her dreams. But she was upset that Randal didn’t remind her not to forget. In the moment she told Randal how she felt I think she said the words of many women that felt the way she felt. She said every word that we want to say but haven’t been able to say.
