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Wait for it


Because you never know -- the girl with the yellow umbrella might have been waiting all these years for you too.


If there's anything HIMYM has consistently taught me, it's that (1) what makes for a great story are the characters, and (2) nothing is too small or insignificant for a terrific storyteller.

I, for one, don't think Ted's the best storyteller. (I also don't think he's such an ideal guy - well, for me at least - but that's for a different post altogether.) But, I think that none of us are - when we tell what we think is a great story, we all have the tendency to go off track, remember random details, or forget important ones.

This is the most important story in Ted's life: meeting the love of his life. Granted, it's taken him eight (or nine) years on our watch to get there. And granted, along the way, we've seriously considered if this girl really is The One (especially after Robin). But this is not our tale to tell - it's his. And if he thinks that this is the way to build up the biggest, most meaningful event his life, then we have no choice but to let him finish. We may doubt his feelings, we may judge his choices, but we cannot fault him for telling things this way, because everything in the last eight years, in his head at least, is what got him here. In Farhampton. Where the girl with the yellow umbrella is.

A great story is not just about a hero with a happy ending. It should have a believable ending, with a hero who deserves it. Ted meeting the Mother early on in the show couldn't have possibly led to a convincing and satisfying conclusion. Because that would mean Ted The Romantic being offered The Girl of His Dreams on a silver platter. That would've been so.. easy. No, Ted had to be broken apart, beaten up, left at the altar, repeatedly denied - all of it. He had to get to a point where the mere idea of believing in love and holding out for it stopped making sense. He had to be shaken to his very core and reduced to this. Because only then can love - the magical, wonderful kind he has always held on to - be able to make a true devotee out of him.

Ted, it's been a great journey. Sure, some years (aka seasons) were better than others. But it was an enjoyable ride - one we didn't mind listening to, one we didn't mind waiting for.

Because quite frankly, despite all possible evidence to the contrary, I still believe you when you said she was worth it. So thank you for teaching us how to wait,

and to believe in the universe again, despite all odds.




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