One Day changed my life – it could change yours too

Gut wrenchingly sad. The 14-part Netflix series left the audience bawling so hard that their sobs were silent and accompanied by an absurd amount of snot. The show starring witty writer Ambika Mod, and rising star Leo Woodall has stolen the hearts and tissues of the nation.

If you’ve yet to watch, you do not know what you’re missing out on. Without spoiling arguably the best thing to come out of this decade, I’m here to tell you how it has changed my perspective on everything. 

Nineteen years shown in 19 days. We watch Emma Morely grow from a mature and ambitious graduate, into a woman battling societal norms and Dexter Mayhew from a charming boy to a troubled man who couldn’t keep up with the speed of life. The day you meet someone, do you ever truly expect them to completely change your life? I guess that is the first way that One Day altered my mindset – do we underestimate and devalue the people around us? Do we ever really see how much they fulfil our lives?

 “I’m not being a footnote.” 

Emma morley, one day

I do not want to be overlooked, I want to matter. If only people would come to this revelation sooner, and realise how precious people are. This is not necessarily in a romantic setting, beneath the wrong person right time trope, there is a deep focus on family and friendships. The relationship between Dexter and Alison, a charming son and a mother who only wants the best for her child, really portrays a deeper meaning to a nagging family member. Alison, like mothers everywhere, wants their children to be ambitious, and happy, and also to reach for the dreams that they could not achieve.     

Time is of the essence, it is priceless. Watching one day does make you want to go out and chase your dreams and ambitions there and then. You witness firsthand how tormenting being stuck in a job, a life that you don’t want. Having to tolerate what has been normalised in society nowadays, most people are stuck in a typical 9-5 that they do not want. But before you realise it, it is too late to go out and chase the dream job and lifestyle you want. This made me think of my mother, who had my sister and I at a young age. She’d moved into a house at 20 and worked full-time at a supermarket for almost a decade. Then by 30, she had decided she wanted more and by 35, she had enrolled in university. She had faced many obstacles including family, financial struggles, and covid. Now she is about to graduate from a PGCE and is on her way to becoming a textiles teacher. After watching One Day, I now understand why my mother had done that. You are never too old, never too late, or never too far along down one path to achieve what you want in life. 

Live life to the fullest. Live every single day as if it were your last. Spend as much time with your loved ones as possible. If you’re old enough to have lost a family member or someone close to you, I am sure an occurring thought would be ‘I wish I had more time’. Take that for gospel, do not miss a single opportunity, there will be a day when you will regret not taking that chance.

 “Whatever happens tomorrow, we’ve had today.”

Emma morley, one day

Life is beautiful but short, so appreciate it. But do take time to watch this show. The emotional journey it takes you on is immense. Through Emma, Dexter, Sylvie, Ian, Alison, Tilly, Stephen, and all the other characters you learn a lesson. This show allows you to feel the highest highs, lowest lows and the dullest dulls. You grow a connection with each character. There is a reason why this mini-series scores 95% on rotten tomatoes, so add it to your watchlist for 2024.