“Gilmore Girls” has a place in my heart. Regardless of the judgment I receive from those who do not understand where my love is coming from, I persist in my feelings.

For those who do not know, “Gilmore Girls” is a television show that aired on The WB before moving to The CW from 2000 to 2007. The show is set in the fictional town of picturesque Stars Hollow, Connecticut and follows the lives of Lorelai and her daughter Rory as they navigate the many obstacles of adolescence, their love lives and the unusual relationship the two hold with Lorelai’s parents.

Lorelai Gilmore, since becoming pregnant with Rory at the age of sixteen, has had a strained relationship with her parents, Emily and Richard, who embody the stereotypical wealthy New England lifestyle that the rebellious sixteen-year-old Lorelai sought to escape. Lorelai and Rory, on the other hand, are more like best friends than mother and daughter due to the young age Lorelai had Rory at.

Rory attends a prestigious preparatory school and Lorelai manages a quaint bed and breakfast. Each morning the pair enjoys coffee and more at the town’s only diner, Luke’s. Rory likes to read books under a specific tree when she is not spending time with her best friend, Lane, and studying so she can be admitted to the likes of Harvard or Yale.

The show is filled with witty banter, sarcastic commentary, and socio-cultural references.

Critics of the show point to the stiff acting, and this I will concede. Over winter break, I watched the show on a giant flat screen television with my mother and was struck by the bumbling atmosphere created by numerous empty dialogues, the absence of background music and mediocre acting. I was struck by how un-picturesque most scenes felt. The uncomfortable atmosphere all felt a little too much like real life.

Upon attempting to watch the Netflix four-episode reboot of the series, I was unable to persevere – I could not quite move past Lauren Graham’s plastic surgery.

Despite all of the flaws I see in the show, though, I cannot help but to continue watching it. “If you’re out on the road, feeling lonely and so cold, all you have to do is call my name and I’ll be there on the next train,” sings the theme song to the show. After endless hours of studying, I do feel lonely and I do feel cold, so all I want to do is stare mindlessly into the world of the Gilmores, regardless of how painful that world actually is.

Perhaps this stems from watching the show with my best friend in elementary school or from noticing how the relationship between Lorelai and Rory reminds me of my own relationship with my mother.

What keeps me attached to the show is likely the sentimental value I associate with it. I also make fun of the series, but I continue to hold onto it because it feels comfortable and reminds me of a sort of trivial carelessness.

We all have these associations. Whether they are poor literature, obscure bands or old clothing we refuse to get rid of, they all share in common the element of underlying value — a value that is sometimes hard to put into words.

So, own whatever it is that you enjoy, and live life with the vigorous, awkward enthusiasm that Lorelai and Rory do.