Thursday, May 15, 2014

Oprah Obsession Not A Bad Thing; Tazi Suggests Participating In "The Thank You Game"

Dear Tazi:

I have a problem that I have never seen addressed anywhere before, so I am hoping you can tell me if it is normal or if I should seek professional help: I am obsessed with Oprah Winfrey.

When I say "obsessed", I mean obsessed. I have watched her talk show for years. I used to tape it every day, and I still have copies of the older shows; back when blank VHS tapes were easy to find. When I can't catch Oprah on TV, I watch the old episodes from my collection. I love the advice Oprah gives, and try to live my life according to her principles. Once, I was even lucky enough to be a member of her studio audience! It was a fantasy come true, even though I was sitting way up high away from the stage and did not get to talk to Lady O. Just being in her presence was enough for me.

People have told me that my obsession with Oprah and "O. Living" (yes, I also subscribe to O magazine) goes too far, and that I need to form my own ideas and principles in order to be my own person; that right now I am just a "zombie" to Oprah's word. This might be true; but her ideas are so great and have really helped me along my path, bringing me fortune and a comfortable lifestyle. It's not like I worship Oprah; although I will admit I talk about her a lot, but it is only to give credit where credit is due. What do you think, Tazi? Do I have a problem? I would write to Oprah herself, but even I realize that she would have a biased opinion on the matter. I live and die by the OWN network!

Signed,
Oprah's Biggest Fan!

Dear Oprah's Biggest Fan:

Do you know what Oprah's latest Facebook promotion is? Of course you do, I am just asking for the sake of my other readers, who may not know. If you go to the Oprah Winfrey Network page on Facebook, you can participate in the "Thank You Game" - a very simple concept where every day you reach out and say "thank you" to people who have had a positive affect on your life. Every day, the person you thank is different. One day, you thank someone you love; another day you thank someone who gave you an opportunity...it just started on April 30th, so for those who missed it, you have not fallen behind yet!

Now that I have done my civic duty by promoting this VERY IMPORTANT "GAME" (I am telling you, we cats do nothing but give, give, give!) I will answer your question: If what you have is a problem, then I think the world needs more problems like yours. Oprah's motto (on Twitter) is "Live your best life"; and this seems to be what you are doing, through her long-distance guidance.

You mention that you "talk about Oprah a lot". This could be what has your friends more annoyed than concerned, and they are lashing out in the spirit of this annoyance. If you were a "Jesus Freak" (and I do not mean that as a pejorative - this link will bring you to the DC Talk video of the song by that name) - would you (or others) think you had a problem? Probably not, although they might get equally annoyed that you keep proselytizing; which is what you appear to be doing for Ms. Winfrey.

I will not advise you to tone down your Oprah-esque lifestyle since it works well for you; but I would suggest that you take the admiration down a notch. From what I hear, Ms. Winfrey is a humble woman and referring to her as "Lady O." might make her blush. So long as the principles you are following are principles you agree with, I say follow your current course. Nobody has ownership (or copyrights) to values and principles; rather, they are something that are meant to be shared.

Snuggles,
Tazi

Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.

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