Eight Years Later: How 'Game of Thrones' Has Changed My Life

I have been watching Game of Thrones since it first came to HBO eight years ago and it has changed my life in ways that I could not have imagined. My life has been changed by Game of Thrones because the diverse storylines and characters have shown me that regardless of what adversity you may face on even given day, you have the opportunity to persevere and overcome those obstacles if you don't give up.

One of the things I love most about Game of Thrones is that it is one of the few television series that my husband and I both enjoyed watching and it changed my life because my husband and I had a standing date every Sunday to watch the series on HBO. My life was also changed by watching Bran Stark persevere after losing the loss of his legs and beating the odds of survival every season to ultimately receive the greatest honor and responsibility at the end of the series (I don't want to give away too much in the event someone has been living under a rock and has not seen or heard about the final series episode). Bran's perseverance became significant to me when health issues caused me to leave my job of 10 years, but I persevered by focusing on my talents and skills and started writing, working as a voiceover talent, and started my own podcast where I discuss entertainment news including my beloved Game of Thrones, which I will miss doing now that the series is over.

Game of Thrones has also showed me that no matter how the landscape of one's life may change, and no matter what she/he may have to face (e.g. losing your home, or dealing with the loss of family members), life goes on and you can still find some hope as did the Stark's family, as they dealt with the loss of their home and many family members throughout the seasons, but in the end the Stark's siblings found strength in each other. During these eight wonderful years, I watched Arya, Bran, and Sansa Stark grow up, literally before my eyes, and I witnessed how they found new adventures and opportunities that they did not anticipate. Such has also been the case for my then young daughter and son, now teenagers, who face new challenges as they decide what college and career paths they will take. I can’t wait to see the new experiences and adventures my son and daughter will encounter and just as John Snow of the Night Watch did for his siblings, I will be there to protect and watch over my kin whenever they need me.