Ted Mosby's Recovery

One of my goals this summer was to finish watching all the episodes of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix. 

I succeeded. 

For each show I like on TV I have a different interest or purpose in watching it. 

I enjoy Big Bang Theory for its nerdy jokes.

I enjoy Once Upon a Time for its semi-organized complexity.

For How I Met Your Mother-- I enjoy the relationship lessons. I'm fascinated learning how each character develops and handles the hundreds of relationship scenarios that are presented each season. 

Most of all-- I'm fascinated learning how Ted Mosby handles his relationships. The show has done a good job in creating a group of characters that are relatable to each viewer's life. The character I see myself in is Ted Mosby. He's a genuinely good guy who is looking for the right girl and just can't catch a break. He's educated, successful, attractive, sincere, full of not-always-so-witty jokes, and is always the one there to get your back. 

In the show Ted meets a woman named Stella and falls in love with her. They get engaged and she ends up leaving him at the alter because she's still in love with her ex-husband. Though the episodes as Ted heals from this, I copied down lines he said that I found of particular interest and piecing them together now, I think they make a pretty educative story. 

Quote #1: When Ted goes to angrily confront Stella and her husband, but decides not to---

"Kids, you may think your only choices are to swallow your anger or throw it in someone's face, but there's a third option-- you can just let it go. And only when you do that is it really gone and you can move forward. And that kids, was the perfect ending to a perfect love story. It just wasn't mine. Mine was still out there, waiting for me."

Quote #2: Ted talking to students in his architecture class.

Ted: "What does being ready even mean? I thought I was ready last year and I ended up getting left at the alter. I'll be honest guys, I'm a little scared."
Lewis: "We're all scared Professor Mosby."
Betty: "Doesn't being scared let you know you're on to something important?
Ted: "Yeah, I mean, if you're not scared you're not taking a chance. If you're not taking a chance then what the hell are you doing? Right?"

Quote #3: Giddyups is a bar with desperate cowgirls.

"I don't want Giddyups. I want that. I forgot what it feels like to chase the real thing. I think I'm ready again."

Quote #4:

"I think you start to recover the moment you meet that person who gets you back in the game"

I loved hearing these realizations that Ted has as he heals from his break-up. Even though he is hurt and scared and unsure of where to go.. he still plays the game. It requires letting go. It requires taking a chance. It requires the not wasting your time on fluff instead of the real things. It requires finding something new to hold onto. 

Way to go Ted Mosby.

If you're a Robyn character you buy another dog. If you're a Barney Stinson you stop being sad and start being awesome instead. If you're a Ted Mosby you follow your hopeless romantic side and just keep moving.

That's good enough inspiration for me.