My Gratitude to The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is in its final days of airing. And yes, I am watching. This is noteworthy only because I haven’t made The Oprah Winfrey Show part of my daily must-see TV schedule for the better part of the last five years. Instead, I’ve opted to re-watch highlights online and subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine.
In fact, if it weren’t for an injured shoulder keeping me home from work, I probably would have missed her farewell shows altogether. And wouldn’t that have been a shame? Because there is no other person—or perhaps better said, personality—who has impacted me as profoundly as Oprah.
Growing Up with Oprah
I grew up with Oprah. Every day at 4 o’clock, she would appear on my television screen, so full of life, so personable, that I felt as if she were speaking directly to me. Through junior high and high school, then into college and beyond, Oprah’s words of strength and wisdom became a beacon of hope and clarity in what was often a dysfunctional home life.
It’s powerful when you think about it—that a person you’ve never met can have such a profound influence on your life. To know, with certainty, that if you hadn’t heard a particular message or piece of advice, your life might have taken a different path.
So what has been some of that impact? Well, in the words of Miss Winfrey, here is some of “What I Know For Sure.”
The Lessons Oprah Taught Me
I know that I strive to live the most authentic life possible because Oprah introduced that idea on her show.
I’ve learned to forgive myself (and others) for past mistakes by remembering her wisdom: “When you know better, you do better.”
Because of Oprah, I discovered Maya Angelou—so much so that I made it a point to attend a luncheon where she recited her famous poem, “Woman’s Work.”
Oprah also taught me to reflect on the power of gratitude—how sometimes the simple words “thank you” can be enough.
And lastly, she instilled in me a habit that has become second nature: in my darkest moments, I ask myself, “What is the lesson?”
A Thank You to Oprah
These are just a few of the many ways Oprah has guided me toward a higher sense of self. I don’t credit her for doing the work itself—that was mine—but I do thank her for opening me up to new ways of thinking, especially about complex or emotional struggles I faced along the way.
She has undoubtedly been a cultural icon of our time. And while she will go on to new successes and adventures with OWN, it won’t be the same as The Oprah Winfrey Show.
And really, that’s how it should be. You can’t go back and recapture lightning in a bottle.
Here’s to you, Oprah. Thank you for many great years on television.
