Some women read romance novels. Some go shopping. SOME keep up with celebrity gossip. Still others eat chocolate, watch lifetime made for tv movies, and knit.

I watch CMT. Not “cribs” and “redneck wedding”. I watch shows like “extreme makeover: home edition” and “world’s strictest parents”. These shows WRECK me. For instance, I watched an episode of extreme makeover home last night about a desert storm veteran. As a result of having been over there, his immune system was compromised. As a result of that, he developed multiple sclerosis (MS). But did he complain? No. He started lobbying for veteran right and went to visit veterans without families in the hospital, in spite of the fact that he couldn’t get himself into the bathroom. And when the younger of his two children, his son, was dragged under a service truck for 24 feet? He steered his motorized wheelchair into the road and dove out, onto the road, and immediately tended to his son’s injuries, having been a combat medic. Thanks to his efforts, his son lived, though one of his arms had to be amputated. Their house was falling apart, and the entire thing hinged on the strength of the wife and mother, Carol. They rebuilt their whole house and changed their lives. The husband also received a special wheelchair from CVS which allows him to “stand”. He danced with his wife, and can now stand when his daughter walks to get her diploma and gets married.

I don’t know exactly why I have such an obsession with these shows. Part of it is probably the philanthropy of it, the fact that people change the lives of others out of the kindness of their hearts (and wallets). Another part is probably that it reminds me just how lucky I truly am. Whatever the reason, I love these shows and appreciate that my boyfriend deals with my sniffly self whenever I watch them.