Welcome to Shondaland

I remember being a freshman in college and gathering at the big screen TV in my floor’s common area to watch Grey’s Anatomy with a dozen other girls on Thursday nights. After “ghost Denny” my infatuation with Seattle Grace dwindled. A few years ago my husband and I started at the beginning (on Netflix) in an effort to watch the 2014-15 season live, but if we’re home on Thursdays we just watch football. With Cristina gone Grey Sloan Memorial is a lot less appealing; I’ll get around to seeing Derek get slammed by an 18 wheeler eventually.
I binge watch Scandal after each season airs on Netflix. I watched the first season of How to Get Away With Murder live but I’ve missed all but the premiere episode the second season;I foresee a summer binge of that series as well. I guess what I’m saying is that TGIT is must *eventually* watch, not “must watch tv” for me… but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect the hell out of a woman who owns a day of the week.

Year of Yes is a snapshot of about 18 months in Shonda Rhimes life; while she does mention events in her childhood this isn’t a traditional memoir. At Thanksgiving, Shonda’s older sister calls her out for never saying “Yes” to anything, this festers in her mind until she decides to do something about it. Shonda is more comfortable behind the scenes; she has spent her career avoiding speeches, interviews and socializing with new people. After saying yes to things that scare her she begins to feel more comfortable in her own skin. As her year of Yes goes on she makes some big changes, like a dramatic weight loss and spending more time with her three daughters.

“The Year of Yes, I realize, has become a snowball rolling down a hill. Each yes rolls into the next into the next and the snowball is growing and growing and growing. Every yes changes something in me. Every yes is a bit more transformative. Every yes sparks some new phase of evolution.”

Shonda writes like you’ve known each other for years; it’s very casual, but also funny and smart. In her own words, she is a “First. Only. Different.” She is a little insecure accepting praise, but she knows she kicks ass at her job- she just has a hard time accepting recognition from colleagues.

Year of Yes is the perfect January/ New Year’s Resolution read; say yes to doing something that positively changes your well-being. Sure, we aren’t all going to be asked to give commencement speeches or go on Jimmy Kimmel Live or play beer pong on The Mindy Project but we could all benefit by saying Yes to being a little happier.

Shonda, let’s get together for a bottle or two of wine.