Opinion: "With Love, Meghan" is Exactly What the Doctor Ordered
Stop Hating on the Duchess of Sussex
Hey everybody, I planned to write a substacky piece with suggestions on how to write responsibly about mental health. I still intend to do that, but I’ve been nursing my mental health this week, so it isn’t the time for that. I need to focus on something fun today, so let’s have some fun and discuss the Netflix show With Love, Meghan,1 starring someone who everybody seems to love to hate—Meghan Sussex (that’s right, I said “Meghan Sussex” because that’s what she wants to be called). My name is “Melissa,” but I insist on “Mel” so what’s the big deal?
The Duchess doesn’t need me to defend her, but I’m here to say a few things anyway.
Look, people, she’s rich—get over it. I know sometimes we love to hate wealthy people, especially now, with the political climate and all. You know what I’m talking about —all the wealthy people trying to take over the world a la Dr. Doofenshmirtz.2 People don’t like her, and people don’t seem to like that she’s rich. She’s just out there living her life in Montecito, California, trying to take care of bees and blackberries, and people are on the internet hating on her for what? Spending her money and living in beauty? And don’t feed me a line about the Royal family. We don’t know what really went on.
Spoiler: I’m not rich. But look, if I had millions of dollars, do you know what I’d be doing right now (after I support my favorite Substackers at a thou a month)? I’d be building a big stone cottage in the Blue Ridge Mountains like the one you see in the Sense and Sensibility movie. I would make sure that I’m surrounded by trees. I’d probably have about four dogs: the two I already have, the most beautiful Frenchie you ever did see, and an Old English Sheepdog. I’d have a goat, and I’d milk it to make cheese, a horse (not to ride, mind you, I’m not a horse rider; I wanna look at it outside of my window in my vast field. Then I would invite my neighbors to ride it and I would pay for them to have lessons). In addition, I would get a pigmy cow so I could cuddle with it in the field. I would also like chickens so I could go outside and collect the eggs in a cute basket. However, I would hire someone to clean the chicken coup. And lest do you think I’d be lazy if I were wealthy, no I would not. Just give me a small church where I can be a care pastor and visit people’s homes to pray and encourage them. Then I’ll come home, cuddle my cow, collect my eggs, look at my horse, make my cheese, read my books, and pick my blackberries.
How can I begrudge Meghan her millions? I mean, when you really think about the kind of life she has, we have something she doesn’t—privacy. Her life has to be mainly on that plot of land in Montecito. And before you say, “Well, if I were that rich, I’d love to just be on that plot of land,” think again about never going to the movies or shopping or taking your kids to the zoo without being totally scrutinized for every single little thing and chased by paparazzi.
So let’s talk about her show now.
People are saying it’s cringe, pretentious, and boring. I say, so what? So what if this show is boring? So what if it has some cringe and pretentious moments? That’s what makes it interesting. Do we need any more excitement in our media right now? I’d like to argue that we need boring. And I want to say this: although the show may be a little snoozy, it is beautiful. I don’t know about you, but I could use seeing honey dripping from the honeycomb, Mindy Kaling with her beautifully glossy hair and gorgeous outfits, and watching Meghan make a rainbow balloon display for her kids. Quite frankly, that’s the kind of media that I want right now.
Have you watched TV lately? Each time I turn it on, I’m faced with what’s happening with the Social Security Administration. Guess what? My husband works for Social Security in the State of Ohio. Or I’m confronted with what’s happening with the federal Department of Education. Guess what? My kid benefits from the Department of Education’s Policies. Or I’m confronted with what might happen to Medicaid. Guess what? My kid is on Medicaid.
I want to watch Meghan Sussex make one-pan spaghetti3 (which, by the way, is absolutely delicious. I’ve made it three times now). I want to watch her make a honey lemon with raspberry cake4 (which, by the way, is fantastic; I made it once and will make it 10 more times). So before we all go hating on Meghan because we have a particular opinion of her because of what went down over in England, what she brought to the United States, that she put a wedge in the royal family, that she’s trying too hard, that they have too much money, or blah blah blah blah blah, let’s just enjoy her estate and the beauty that is in her show and make her recipes. It’s actually not just for wealthy people. A lot of her stuff is doable on a budget. The most expensive thing that I had to buy for the cake was, you guessed it, eggs. And that’s not Meghan’s fault. I just so happened to buy the fancy California olive oil and the authentic Italian spaghetti noodles because I felt extra that day.
For me, the past three weeks have been rough. I’ve had a couple of PTSD episodes, I’m trying to figure out some health things, and all three of my kids are teenagers (do you know that when kids become teenagers, they need you more???). So, wanna know what I’ve done? At my highest peak of some unwelcome anxiety, I made Meghan’s cake, and I took a friend a slice. I made her one-pan spaghetti for my friends, and I enjoyed the leftovers of that spaghetti tonight with my family while all of them were devouring it and saying, “yum.”
So, no more hating on the Duchess, okay?
Anyway, haha, this was a lot of fun to write. It brought me joy. But you know what else brings me a lot of joy? Jesus does. As I talked to my CPE class today about some of the struggles I am going through, I also told them that in the end, even though I haven’t had a lot of peaceful moments, my heart is at peace, and that is because I feel the Lord so near. And I want to remind you, for those who are struggling, he is near, and he is dear. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”5
Extra Sauce
When I’m not watching Meghan’s show, I read
and for comfort. They are amazing.I’ve mentioned my health. I am okay; I just needed some pokes and prods to ensure nothing else is happening besides what I believe is the big problem. This problem will be fixed in a couple of months (stay tuned); in the meantime, it’s causing me some trouble.
Don’t forget to grab a copy of Becoming The Pastor’s Wife by
. It came out yesterday, and it’s fantastic. I was on her launch team, and that was so much fun.
Psalm 23
Wow. I'm super surprised to see my name pop up in your Extra Sauce ... and delighted, too, friend.
xo
My wife enjoys that show. I’ve never understood the Meghan hate. Being stuck in the Royal Family would drive me crazy, and it’s not like her husband loved it. Her pushback seems reasonable.