Two years ago, I wrote an article, “Confessions of an Addict,” sharing the pains and joys of my serious addiction to the Office. Since then, I’ve revisited the article several times for nostalgia’s sake, and many more times I’ve considered writing another chapter in my addiction story. What stopped me?

    For the longest time, I was worried that I had indeed found the reason for my failure to write another addiction article. I was certain I had lost faith. I was certain that my love for the Office had faded. I looked back at my “Confessions” article with shame, wondering what happened to the girl who would give up $10,000 to keep watching the Office. Why had my obsession faded? I was alarmed, distressed, and certain that I could never write another article about the Office again. Worse yet, I couldn’t figure out why I had lost faith in the Office. The show was still funny – I watched it every week without fail. The show was still touching – I shed many a tear of joy for Jim and Pam as they (finally) started their journey together. I thus concluded, there was not anything wrong with the show…it was me. But how could it be? I joined Fanpop because of my love for the Office! How could that ever change?

    And just like that…I figured it out. I had what I wanted, so I could not appreciate it fully. I’m sure many of you have heard the saying “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” Perhaps one of the most cliché and frustratingly correct sayings out there, it became my revelation. When the Office wasn’t on was when I was most obsessed. As one could imagine, this caused me a great deal of distress. How could I love something if I loved it most when it wasn’t there?

After a considerable amount of reflection, I am proud to say I have found my cure (this is a comeback story after all). In the end, it was Jim and Pam’s wedding that really helped me. I’ve watched that particular episode several times since it has aired- and having watched it again today, I know now that I can love the Office all the time! In fact, I never really stopped loving the Office, I only feared that I had. So how did the ‘Niagra’ episode help me come to these revelations? When I saw Jim and Pam finally married, I was overwhelmed with joy. This joy was so real, so sincere, that I knew. I knew that I could only feel such joy for something I truly loved. Just thinking about the long journey Jam has gone through, I couldn’t help but feel great to see that they had succeeded! If Jim and Pam could be together forever, well, it was time for me to re-accept my addiction to the Office, because I couldn’t help but be excited for their future. In fact, I couldn’t help but be excited for the future of the Office in general. Even in these tough times, I can find comfort, because I know that whatever happens to Dunder Mifflin, all my Office friends will find a way to make me laugh, smile, and maybe even cry. It’s the emotion that finally helped me realize my addiction never wavered – the reason for my comeback.

Now that I think about it, I think my addiction to the Office is stronger than ever. I feel more attached to the characters than I ever have (I worry many a night about the financial state the Dunder Mifflin company is in)! I’m sure the Office will be at least 59% responsible for the early onset of smile wrinkles I will acquire. And with that, I must thank the Office for having such an impact on me! I’ll still be saying “that’s what she said” even when Michael Scott cannot, I’ll still be admiring my Dwight Bobblehead even when Dwight throws his out, I’ll still be watching and re-watching episodes of the Office even when there aren’t any new ones to watch. So is this really a comeback story, or is this just another chapter in my addiction? Well, let’s just put it this way: the Office will always leave me satisfied and smiling. And yes...that’s what she said.

It’s good to be back.