Spoilers for Netflix’s ‘One Day’ ahead—proceed with caution.
‘One Day’ is a limited series on Netflix that follows Dexter and Emma, two twenty-somethings who meet on the last day of university and who spend the next 20 years going in and out of each other’s lives. It’s clear that the glimpses into their life affected viewers deeply—and for a reason. These are the most beautiful love lessons we can take away from the show—and, hopefully, from our own lives as well.
1. The best relationships are between two people who see the best in each other, even when they can’t see it in themselves.
Throughout the years, Dex and Emma are each other’s biggest cheerleaders. They’re so sure of the others’ success, even if they don’t have that same confidence in themselves. A great example of this is when Emma was ready to pack her bags and move back home after her first play failed and she felt trapped in her minimum wage job; instead of letting her accept this fate, Dex reminded her that one failure doesn’t define her and made it clear how much he admired her talents and abilities. Ultimately, it was his belief in her that may have pushed her to keep trying and finally achieve her dreams.
2. The right person will love you through your worst moments—even if they won’t enable you through them.
Dex and Emma went through a lot of ups and downs over the years, especially in those surrounding Dex’s mother’s death, when he dealt with his grief with drugs, alcohol, and a lot of questionable decisions. Even when it was clear that Emma was concerned with Dex’s lifestyle, she continued to be there for him and love him. However, that didn’t mean she was willing to enable that behavior—at its worst, she called him out on it and stepped away from it. While not everyone may agree with Emma’s decision to distance herself from Dexter for a few years (including Emma herself), it ultimately showed that she wasn’t going to just stand there while he ruined his life because she cared for him too much to do that.
3. Friendship can be the most beautiful foundation for a romantic relationship.
While there was clearly always romantic tension in Dex and Emma’s relationship, there was also something even stronger: friendship. Romantic feelings aside, the two clearly cared for each other a lot and enjoyed one another’s company, even when it seemed like it was never going to amount to anything more. By the time they got together, they already knew just about everything about each other and already understood how they worked together, cementing the fact that it was the right decision—there was never any question about whether or not they were with the right person, because they already knew for sure.
4. Sometimes, love is about timing—and sometimes, love is about making your own timing.
Throughout the years, Dex and Emma have plenty of will-they-won’t-they moments that ultimately end unrealized. And at some points, it seems like it may be for the best—there are certainly moments in their friendship when it’s clear that a romantic relationship between the two might end badly, like when Emma is struggling with her self-esteem or when Dexter is going through his rock n’ roll years. However, when Emma and Dex finally get together, it’s during a moment when it seems like it could result in yet another missed opportunity for the two—Dex is ready to be with Emma, but Emma has met someone else. While Emma puts her foot down at first, telling Dex he’s too late, she later realizes that she gets to decide the timing of her life—and what she chooses is time with Dexter. It’s a good reminder that there are a lot of complications in life, but sometimes the solution is simple: You get to choose what makes you happy at any given moment.
5. Appreciate the people in your life in the moment—not in hindsight.
In the final episode, Emma says, “I was actually quite gorgeous in my twenties. I didn’t appreciate it at the time.”
“I did,” Dexter argues.
“Sometimes you did,” she agrees. “Sometimes you didn’t.”
This sentiment can be applied to Dex and Emma’s entire relationship—there were moments when they appreciated each other deeply and others where they seemed to take the other for granted. At the end, it’s clear that Dex regretted all the moments he didn’t appreciate Emma fully, especially once their time was cut short. While it’s a heartbreaking realization, it also makes all those moments he didn’t take her for granted all the more beautiful—because in the time when they were really together, he knew how important she was and wanted to share the world with her. Because he recognized her value and wasn’t afraid to let her know, he was able to know the happiness of being with her, even if it was only for a brief moment.
6. Sometimes the people who seem inconsequential will come out of nowhere and change your life forever.
The most beautiful part of One Day and its format—showing Dex and Emma’s relationship for one single day out of every year—is that it really showcased the most beautiful part of human connection: that nearly every single person that becomes an important part of your life first began as a total stranger. Sometimes it’s the tiniest, most inconsequential connections that become the most important in your life over time, and in hindsight, it will almost feel like meeting them was inevitable, because had you not, you wouldn’t be the person you are today. “I’m not being a footnote,” Emma told Dex after their first day together, and without realizing it, she was right—just like with Emma and Dex, sometimes we don’t realize it when we meet the person who is about to become the whole story.
