When You Love Something

This is a blog about liking things. I just want to get that out there right now.

Often, I hear people say, "Oh, I love Star Trek because it's so campy." And, really, I guess I shouldn't question someone's motives for liking something. But, when I love something--really love it--I love it without irony. I love it with abandon.

And so did Daniel Craft. If you haven't heard about this story yet, go read it. I'll wait.

Back? If you're reading this through tears, I get it.

Basically a terminally ill  man loved Star Trek and wanted, more than anything, to see the new movie before he died. His wife wrote an open letter to the producers, put it online, and not long after, they came to his house with a very rough cut of the film. He watched it. He loved it. And, it ended up being the last thing he did before he died.

I read this story over the weekend and couldn't really write about it until today. I couldn't even talk about it to my husband without crying. I'm having difficulty holding it together just typing this.

The story really struck a chord with me. I spent a lot of time thinking about why. I decided that this story is about loving something. Loving something without irony. Loving something with abandon. It's about a man who knew he had days--maybe only hours--left, and chose to spend those precious hours in the company of the people and the show that had given him so much joy over the years.

I get that I'm spending a year watching Star Trek and that this probably seems laughable to a lot of people. I get that anyone at all could point their finger and say that I could/should be doing something "more important" with my time. But, I love Star Trek. If I found out that I had only days--maybe only hours-- I'd be doing the same thing. Watching the show I love, with the people I love, and writing about why it means so much.

I also get that, the people involved in Star Trek, the writers, actors, directors, especially in the earlier years, maybe felt like they could/should be doing something "more important." I'm sure they had friends and family who said, "Oh, I love Star Trek because it's so campy... but really you should be doing something serious with your time." But, reading Daniel Craft's story, I can't really imagine what's more important. They signed on for Star Trek and decided to boldly go into history and our hearts and, really, I'm just so glad they did.