I'm thankful that Netflix and I are still friends

Things got a little heated last year with the Qwikster disaster but now we're stronger than ever

Thanksgiving. Beyond being a reminder that, uh oh, I’ve really got to start think about what presents I want to get people this year, it’s also the time of year for good food and getting into political arguments with your family at the dinner table (I’ll tell you what can do with your flat tax!) that only stop when then when the pumpkin pie comes out.

More importantly, it is also a time of year for reflection and to really take heed of all the good things in your life. You know, health, family, friends, and all that jazz. But there is another thing I can say I am thankful for: that, after everything that happened between us last year, Netflix and I can be friends again.

Netflix and me

Now, I know that you’re thinking. "Really? Netflix? Of all things, that’s what you’re thankful for?" But let me make my case.

Netflix and I go back a long time. We’ve got history together, and I like to think that means something.

I first got to know Netflix in 2004, just as I was about to graduate from high school and go off to college. I like to think that we had an instant connection, and we were friends right from the start.  It was a transitional time for me, and Netflix helped me through it. What would I have done if I didn’t have all of the Friday the 13th movies to watch that summer?

I remember how excited I was at the time, trying so hard to convince all of my friends that Netflix really was awesome! They just had to give it a chance!

Netflix and remained friends off and on through the years, seeing each other when came home for breaks. We made it through the goods times and the bad times, but nothing could ever come between us. We would be friends forever!

Or so I thought!

Then, the unthinkable happened: Quickster! Or was it Qwixster? Actually, I’m pretty sure it was Qwikster. Yeah, that was it.

Qwikster!

Have you ever had a friend that you’ve known for years suddenly tell you that they were changing their name, and that everything you knew about them was a lie? That’s what it felt like when Netflix told me that it was going to be spinning its DVD service into something I could barely spell. How could it do this to me, after all this time? Would that really be the end of our friendship?

Thankfully, it was not. Netflix came to its senses and decided that Qwikster was all a terrible phase it was going through. And I forgave it. I mean, who hasn’t made some questionable decisions that they later regret?

Unfortunately for Netflix, a lot of other people were not as forgiving as I was. Many others, who also felt rejected, decided they had had enough, and went off to experiment with some other services, just to see what was out there.

But I’m proud to say that I have stayed true to Netflix this entire time, even when it didn’t seem to want me around.

Am I a masochist? Perhaps. But I like to think of myself as a loyal friend. And I’m thankful that Qwikster was not able to come between us.

In all seriousness, though…

I know, I kid Netflix a lot. I mean, Qwikster? Come on! What were they thinking with that one?

But, if you would allow let me take a moment to get serious here, I actually have a good reason to be thankful for Netflix this year.

There is someone who is very close to me who has been sick the last six months or so. Very sick. As in, can barely even leave the house sick. And it’s been absolute hell on them.

And, if any of you out there have ever had a similar experience, you know that when you’re cooped up in the house for months on end, there really is not that much to do. And you also know that movies become the source of sanity, since they are the only think that can break up the monotony.

So, in all sincerity, thank you Netflix, for coming through when you were needed the most. 

(Image source: https://www.techjournal.org)