Happy 10th birthday, HIMYM! Here are 10 amazing things you’ve taught us
Today is a very special day. Why? Because the very first episode of How I Met Your Mother aired ONE DECADE AGO TODAY. That’s right: ten years ago, Ted Mosby began his super long-winded yet loveable story to his exasperated children about how he met their mom. Seriously, where has the time gone?
This show was heartbreaking, funny, clever, and deep in so, so many ways. We were granted the opportunity to grow with Ted, Robin, Lily, Marshal, and Barney. We laughed, we cried, we felt all the feelings over the course of nine beautiful seasons.
No matter your feelings about the finale (though, personally, I adored it — sorry not sorry), all HIMYM fans can agree that over the nine years we watched these five NYC buds try to navigate their 20s and 30s, we’ve learned a lot of legen — wait for it — dary (had to, obviously) lessons. In honor of our fave sitcom’s birthday, here are 10 lessons HIMYM taught us.
Nothing good happens after 2 am.
One of the warnings Ted gave his kids that really hit home was this: “Kids, your grandma always used to say to me, ‘Nothing good happens after 2:00 a.m.,’ and she was right. When 2:00 a.m. rolls around, just go home and go to sleep.”
He was, of course, referencing when he ended up cheating on his long-distance girlfriend, Victoria, with Robin. But this can apply to so many facets of life. First of all, a good night’s sleep is important, guys! But also, when you’re really tempted to make a crazy late night decision, sleep on it. Give yourself time to rest. If, in the morning, it seems like a good idea, go for it.
When you feel yourself getting too angry to think straight, pause the fight.
Lily and Marshall are #relationshipgoals in so many ways, but one of the most practical and applicable ways is their method of “pausing” a fight to take a breather. Resolving an argument is important, but we’ve all had those fights that seem to last forever — that escalate into anger and tears and cruel words that we don’t even mean — and sometimes, pressing the pause button allows you both to take a deep breath, remind yourself of the REAL issue at hand, and remember that you love that person. A pause can remind you of what really matters while keeping you from pulling your hair out.
When it comes to what you like to do, age doesn’t matter.
HIMYM reminded us that no one’s too young to enjoy a laser tag game. Similarly, Ted’s hatred for clubs was personally a huge relief for me. When I turned 21, I felt like my disinterest in the “club” scene meant I was lame, but it’s OK to not like clubs, just like it’s OK to want to run around shooting your friends with fake lasers at age 30. You do you.
We all think we have it figured out when we’re young. . .
The “college Ted” joke is so hilarious because we’ve all had our own version of a college Ted. We can look back on our lives and remember when we thought we were *sooo* cool, or when we thought we had our whole lives planned out. Of course, we didn’t — but that’s totally normal.
. . . and we all have a “two F” moment every now and then.
You know what I’m talking about:
Your dream job takes work — and that’s OK.
Robin worked a lot of gigs that embarrassed her (and I’m not even talking about Robin Sparkles here.) She had to do a lot of “fluff pieces” that she was totally not interested in that tended to be at the end of the news broadcast. But after a ton of hard work, she moved up the ranks, eventually being a lead anchor and hosting a morning talk show.
It’s OK to not get what you want right away. Keep on going for it, and keep your eye on the prize.
Remember to cherish the little things.
When the vending machine gives you TWO instead of one, be Barney levels of happy.
That thing you don’t like? You may end up learning to love it.
Way back in the first season, Ted realizes that he’s been keeping a shirt for the past six years that he always didn’t like, but suddenly, he realizes he loves it. When he goes to the bar with the gang, he discovers he actually loves bourbon — something he always thought he couldn’t stand. So he decided to call up the girls he dated before to see if his dating tastes have changed.
Obviously, that last one might not be a great idea, but remember that just because you don’t like something at one point doesn’t mean you should shut the door on it forever. Keep an open mind — as you mature, your tastes evolve.
It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.
Poor Ted kept on falling down, over and over, but he was such a romantic that he never truly gave up. He had so much heartbreak in his life, but he was focused on finding his true love. . . and he would much rather have his heart broken than to never have experienced love.
You deserve nobody less than your true love. . .
Don’t settle for your beinaheleidenschaftsgegenstand. Hold out for your lebenslangerschicksalsschatz!
But the “love of your life” doesn’t have to be a romance.
But remember that romantic relationships aren’t the only ones that matter. There are so many special people in your life.
ALL OF THE FEELS. Happy anniversary / birthday / 10 years, HIMYM! We miss our fave show, but will be Netflixing it for all of eternity. <3
