Does anyone even remember what life was like before Parks and Recreation made its NBC debut? Neither do I, but it sounds like a terrible kind of world to live in. Unfortunately, it's the kind of world we'll all have to learn to accept now that Parks and Rec is beginning its seventh and final season with back-to-back episodes starting on Tuesday, Jan. 13. That doesn't sound too bad, right? I mean, a double dose of Leslie Knope seems pretty great in theory. That is, until you realize that the entire season will take place over the course of only seven weeks. Because here's the thing, people — Parks and Rec 's hour-long series finale airs on Feb. 24, which feels way too close for comfort, in my opinion.
Granted, I'm no math genius or anything, but according to my calculations, this means we'll only be getting a total of 13 episodes for the whole season, which sounds… awful. Like, Ron Swanson without his mustache kind of awful. Not to mention that seven weeks is not a sufficient enough amount of time for me to cope with losing our beloved Pawnee residents forever. (Though, in fairness, I doubt any amount of time would do this loss justice.) I mean, here I was so excited about having extra Parks and Rec episodes every week that I never really factored in the ramifications of what that would mean. How silly of me. (Oh God, AM I A JERRY?!?!)
Anyway, I can only assume that you are just as upset over this whole ordeal as I am, so I thought I'd take some time to list a few activities below, which should prove to help all of us throughout our grieving process, at least a little bit. Consider this a gift from me to you. Because I love you and I like you.
Binge Watch Seasons 1-6
You may not be able to prolong the show's departure, but you can certainly extend your own personal happiness by reliving the first six seasons all over again courtesy of Netflix and Hulu Plus, both of which have the series available for streaming. Plan your future weekends accordingly, folks.
Splurge on Something You've Always Wanted
Whether it be getting a massage or manicure or even planning a trip to Vegas with friends, treating yourself to another enjoyable activity is guaranteed to get you out of that Pawnee funk, at least temporarily. You do you, my friend. You do you.
Take Up a Hobby
Running, tennis, reading a book — these are all great things to help distract you from the immense Parks and Rec-sized hole currently in your heart. Though if you're anything like me, you'll try to suppress your grief by binge-watching another series. After all, what better way to get over one obsession than by indulging in another one?
Talk It Over With a Friend
Odds are you are not the only one that will be faced with Pawnee withdrawal. Sometimes the best course of action is to get together with your best bud and vent out all of your frustrations. You'll more than likely come out of the conversation feeling better than ever. Or, at the very least, you can both sit there wallowing in misery together.
When In Doubt, Drink It Out
Then, of course, there's always April's go-to fixer: alcohol. Toast the end of Parks and Rec with fellow fans and send the series off on a high-note.
Images: Colleen Hayes/NBC; Giphy (3); Wifflegif; thejanelanes/Tumblr
