"How I Met Your Mother" wrapped up over a year ago, but life lessons from the main character, Ted Mosby, never have an expiration date. Here are some of my favorite lessons and quotes from the man himself.
1. Best friends are a constant part of your life when lovers and family aren't.
Looking back on my high school years, I barely remember the time when a boy who had been leading me on for months ended up dating some girl (who later cheated on him). What I really remember is my tight-knit group of friends, and all the amazing places we travelled, things we learned, and shows we put on. Who cares about heartbreak when you've always got a group of people to lean on?
2. "Sometimes things have to fall apart to make way for better things." - Ted Mosby
Now even I'll admit this one is still hard to live by, but it's true. In college, I have never uttered the words "Man, I want to go back to high school so bad!" Sometimes, we have to go through changes in life to get to that end goal, we eventually have to stop chasing momentary happiness to find true joy. And in doing so, sometimes our lives have to be a wreck for a bit before we get there. That's just a part of our story.
3. People are very rarely out of your life for good.
When watching How I Met Your Mother, you may think that you'll never hear about the Slutty Pumpkin or Stella Zinman or the Pineapple incident girl ever again, but they always come back at a later episode. That's not just some TV imaginary world stuff, that happens all the time in real life! You think your relationship with someone is over and you'll never speak again, but who knows, they might come back to your door a year later and things might be different.
4. Never lose hope.
“Never forget that on any day, you can step out the front door and your whole life can change forever.” -Ted Mosby. Through the countless number of girls Ted had to go through to find his soulmate, he never gave up. Because if he did, he wouldn't have met your mother! Just because one person breaks you doesn't mean you should stay jaded forever. Isn't that right, Ted?
5. Keep a sense of humor through it all.
Because this:
6. Don't become a doormat, and don't settle for love. You'll get there eventually.
You know, being with someone you don't like, or someone who doesn't like you, actually isn't any better than being alone. Take it from my own experience. Don't let someone you love eventually make you hate yourself. That's what Ted has always been great at; knowing himself and not letting any failed romances tell him otherwise.
7. And even though it will all work out in the end, we can't just fast forward to then. We have to go through all the bumpy parts, too.
There's a reason Ted doesn't immediately tell his kids how he met their mother. He took them through every excruciating detail before he revealed it. Because that's how the real world works. God is the master of interrupting/ruining plans, and it may be painful but that's just how our lives go. Even though it would be awesome getting our answers right away, we'd miss out on the fun parts of life, like the magical reunion of Lily and Marshall, or Robin's weird trip to Argentina, or that one time Ted fought a goat. There's a reason we go through those hardships, and that's because it makes the end result that much sweeter.
Thanks, Ted!
