HOW "THE X-FILES" SAVED MY LIFE

If you would so indulge me, I'd like to tell you a story.  I've tried to keep it as condensed as possible.
Once upon a time, there was this girl.  She had just graduated from high school and was very uncertain of how her life was going to pan out.  You see, this girl suffered from social anxiety.  So much that she couldn't even call and order a pizza because it meant she had to talk to a stranger.
The girl spent a lot of time alone, finding solace in books, films, and television.  One evening, she found "The X-Files" and became quite enchanted.  She had watched so much television and very little surprised her anymore.  But this show was different.  It was smart and unpredictable.
The more she watched, the more she wanted to know.  So, she started reading magazine articles about this show.  Many of the articles mentioned that this show had a big internet following.  So, logically, the next step was to get online.
She did get online and it was amazing.  There were so many people who felt the same way she did and people with thoughts and theories that she had never considered before.  She started commenting here and there and the more she commented, the more she connected with people.
Then opportunities to meet these people in person came about.  And this girl who once was too afraid to talk on the telephone found herself boarding planes to cities she had never been to before to meet total strangers.  Only, they weren't strangers.  They were people she had come to know.  She didn't have to prove herself to them.  They didn't think she was weird.  They knew that she was smart and funny and loving.  They were her friends.
And she wasn't so scared of people anymore.
As I'm sure you have guessed, this is my story.  Sometimes I think that "The X-Files" saved my life.  It's been nearly 12 years since that fateful Friday night when I turned on the local Fox channel and caught the last few minutes of 'Squeeze.'  I wonder what my life would have been like had I not found this show that I loved so much that it made me want to get out into the world and share it?  Would I still be alone in that room dreaming of a way out?
I have learned so much from watching Mulder and Scully.  I've learned that even when the odds are poor and even if people think you're crazy to never ever give up.  I've learned to believe in myself and keep fighting.  I've learned to listen to my intuition and to have strength in my beliefs and to be passionate about the things that matter to me.
A few weeks before the new movie debuts in theaters, I'll be celebrating my 30th birthday and I've never been so excited about life before.  I'll be watching this movie with some of my friends that I've met through the show, many of whom I've been friends with for years.  Watching it with them, during this time in my life, feels extremely special.  A full circle moment, if you will.
Your work has meant a lot to so many of us.  It has touched lives in ways you can't even imagine.
"The X-Files" has been with me my entire adult life.  And no matter how old I get, it'll always be a part of me.  Some people have the misconception that we fans have no life.  I have a life because I am a fan.
Julie
West Hollywood, CA
P.S.  I had the pleasure of attending the Paley Festival in March.  Afterward, a good friend of mine found this photo of me online.  Little did I know I was holding a big clue to the movie's title.