When Life Feels Like Stars Hollow

An homage to Gilmore Girls and a story about a basketball game

Megan Minutillo
4 min readDec 11, 2024
Photo by TJ Dragotta on Unsplash

My son and I go to the park almost daily. He scampers around on the grass and climbs to the top of the slide so swiftly that it makes my heart melt. It feels like yesterday when I had to hold his little hand as he climbed up the stairs — and now, he scampers up there with ease, calling to me proudly from the top of the slide, “Mama, watch me!”

Of course, I watch. Of course, I exclaim with glee as my boy gets to the bottom of the slide. Of course, I greet him with open arms as he runs to hug me upon landing.

Of course, I repeat this process as he does it again twenty more times, as most toddler parents would do.

Last week, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was shot and killed on the streets of Manhattan. Point blank. Dead. Not another soul was hurt.

I live in New York, and this still baffles me. It troubles me. It horrifies me, too. Some people on the internet will try to tell you that the Big Apple is scary, but truthfully, it has never scared me. It’s always been home.

What is mind-boggling and appalling is that some people on the internet justify such a thing. I’ve seen one too many memes about how horrible health insurance companies are (you will get no…

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Megan Minutillo
Megan Minutillo

Written by Megan Minutillo

Essayist, poet, and theatre producer. I write stories about self-awareness, IVF, and finding your footing in life’s messy moments. Instagram: @meganminutillo.

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