Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Texas Forever - New York, New York


New York, New York. I couldn’t let the guys be the only ones to talk about NYC. I’m a Texas girl at heart - born and bred in the Lone Star State - but I have a sense of adventure too! Like some of my fellow Gym Class All Stars, I’m heading to NYC this Thursday. It’s my first trip to the Big Apple, and I’ve been jamming Alicia Key’s “Empire State of Mind” to get me ready for the scenic views and the adventure.

So here’s where we pick back up on the Friday Night Lights fandom; a quote from the FNL episode titled “New York, New York” comes to mind. The episode starts with Jason Street telling some of the guys that he’s packing up and moving out of Texas. Tim Riggins asks Street, “Why would you want to leave Texas?” I too have wondered that a million times, but Street is on to something when he says, “Because it’s not about Texas anymore.”

The episode unpacks what happens after one dream dies; in this case, Jason Street’s dream to play football. Like any person who dreams of making it big, he has to live with the reality that his injury (oops - spoiler alert) prevents him from ever playing sports again. I’m sure a lot of athletes have to experience this, and I appreciate FNL for portraying that struggle in a very raw way.

Cue scenes of Riggins walking through NYC in cowboy boots and people staring at him like he’s straight out of a Western movie or something. The scenes continue to progress with both Street and Riggins completely out of their element and wandering around NYC. I certainly hope that doesn’t happen to me... but I digress.

Showing why he’s a true comeback kid, Street goes on to New York to pursue bigger and greater things by dreaming of becoming a sports agent. He experiences a lot of doors slamming in his face, and he’s told, “You’re living in a dream world, Brother. This is the big time, this is New York City. It’s not Dillon...” While I wasn’t the biggest Street fan through the series, it was an episode that had me commending Street for his efforts. Per usual, this FNL episode left me truly inspired by seeing Street moving on to this next chapter of his life.

Further takeaways from this episode -- besides the nice views of NYC and the comedic, stereotypical Texans looking out of place in the big city -- is to never give up. As cliche as that sounds, I know that a lot of athletes and people who are trying to “make it” experience unexpected setbacks and have to watch some dreams die. While I’m not going to NYC to find a new career (that I know of), it’s good to move on with life by trying new places and seeing what the world outside of Texas has to offer. However, one thing will always ring true in my heart - TEXAS FOREVER.


Photo courtesy of cinemablend.com

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