What Re-Watching The Office Taught Me About Love at 27

When Michael Scott was making everyone cringe and giggle in 2005, I wasn’t paying a whole lot of attention to show The Office. It wasn’t until I re-watched it at 27 years old that I realized how many lessons it was teaching me.

This show is somehow constantly relevant. It’s been off-air for a couple of years, but the memes and Tweets about it are still constant. People are always re-binging it. That’s the sign of a great sitcom.  

The comedy has taught me more about love - and all the different versions of love - than any other form of media in my life. While Pam and Jim are a big part of it, I even learned from Dunder Mifflin’s hilariously-inappropriate manager. But we’ll start with the obvious…

1. Friendship first

Pam and Jim have a love story that started out as a friendship and there’s no better way to fall in love. Falling for someone who is honestly your best friend is scary, exciting and just downright weird. It comes with a lot of risks, but if it works, it’s the best feeling. Building a relationship this way not only promises a level of comfort that I just don’t think anything else can, but it also increases trust. Who (other than your mom) do you trust more than your best friend?

2. Love requires patience

Jim Halpert knows this all too well. If you feel that someone is “The One,” you gotta put the time in. This doesn’t mean you have to sabotage people’s relationships to get the girl. Don’t do that. But it means not running away from your feelings, allowing people to take their time and understanding the situation.

3. ...and bravery

Like in season two when Jim finally tells Pam that he’s in love with her. Or when Jim decides he needs to remove himself from Scranton to give himself and Pam some space. Both of those thing, though very different, require a lot of bravery.

Jim isn’t the only one that shows bravery. Michael Scott, King of Inappropriate Timing, is also royalty when it comes to bravely entering the world of love. Sure, maybe part of that bravely stems from being kind of clueless, but it still counts. He confesses his love for both Jan and Carol, and does just about all he can to prove himself to them. It doesn’t always work out for Michael (which is even more relatable) but he always goes for it and that’s a great lesson to live by.

4. No relationship is the same

Sometimes when your love doesn’t look like the love in the movies or the love of that perfect couple that lives next door, it can be discouraging. The couples within The Office prove that not all relationships look or feel the same. There’s no right or wrong way to love someone. From the sexual chemistry of Angela and Dwight to the silliness of Andy and Erin, when you find “The One” it may not look like what you expected.