Truth is, I was never much of a How I Met Your Mother fan. I always saw it as a diet version of Friends, which was never that good to begin with. I really didn't care who these kids' mother was, and I think taking nine years to tell such a simple story to your children is torturous. That was until I learned the underlining message behind the show.
The series finale aired last week and fans who were looking for a happy ending for the father (Ted) immediately went into an uproar. After waiting nine seasons for their leading man to find "the one," it turned out he actually had two -- the mother, Tracy (only a character for the last season) and his on-again, off-again, "Rachel to his Ross" throughout the series, Robin.
Audiences learned that even though Tracy produced the children and lived a happy life with Ted for a few years and Robin had married fan-favorite Doogie Howser, after the mother's death, and Robin's divorce, Robin and Ted found each other back together again.
Wait... what? There was no ONE? Fans were OUTRAGED. Not one woman wore the wedding dress, produced the children and lived happily ever after with the father? How could this be? They've been cheated out of nine years of fandom!
Slow your role, loyal fans.
The message in the ending of How I Met Your Mother, is perhaps one of the most brilliant ever sent on television -- and hopefully audiences caught it:
YOU ARE LUCKIER TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE.
Ted didn't get cheated out of a happy ending -- he had three. He had the happy ending with the mother, who gave him children that he loved. He also got to have a happy ending with a former flame he always carried a torch for once the timing was right and most of all, he got to have a happy ending with his friends, who had been there for him through thick and thin. This show is a prime example of polyamory and why it is healthy and important.
Different people are important to you in different ways, and by cutting yourself off from everyone and putting all your eggs in one basket you're only setting yourself up for disappointment. It's very hard for one person to fill all your needs. Different sides of your personality are going to cry out for different people at different times, and you're lucky if you can find a handful of great people to share your life with. Not to mention the fact that if you do put all your eggs in one basket, that basket can fall and then all your eggs can break. It's good to have a few eggs on reserve.
I learned a long time ago to never let anyone in my life restrict me to "the one." I love way too many people for that, and I'm glad. So, if you're reading my book series, The Peter Pandrew Trilogy, and waiting for "the one" to come along, I can assure you before you start that you don't have to be outraged by the ending...
...I'm lucky enough to have many more happy endings than "the one."
-- Andrew Cristi
The Peter Pandrew Trilogy -- available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Follow @andrewcristipeterpandrew on Instagram and @andrewcristi on Twitter.
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