How am I supposed to live after HIMYM finale?

How I Met Your Mother is going to end. I remember what my first thought was when I read creator Carter Bays’ announcement on his Twitter about the last episode EVER, airing on March, 31st: AND NOW?
CBS has announced that they’ll shoot a pilot of How I Met Your Dad starring Greta Gerwig, but I’m not quite sure how fans will react to this.

I’ve always suffered because of TV shows finales. I was too young when Friends said goodbye, yet I was reasonably sad anyway. HIMYM has stayed with me in the good and the bad and now I feel I’m losing a friend (doesn’t sound weird, does it? I think it’s perfectly normal to develop a deep, awkward relationship with TV shows as if they were real, so don’t blame me for that). Just like a close friend, HIMYM taught me a few things I want to share with you.

1. Never go to a first date with unshaved legs

This one is easy. Even if you’re not sure about the guy or you don’t have enough time (find it!), you never ever know if your night out could take a good turn. So shave your legs preemptively and you’ll avoid ending up in the restaurant toilet begging the horrible waitress for something foamy. No, cream cheese is not an option.

2. Nothing good happens after 2 am

There are very rare exceptions: giving birth to a baby could be one of these, but not in my case as I’m not future Mrs. Mosby. When an idea comes to my mind after that time (I’d say even after 1 am, if I had spent the previous hour with a considerable number of drinks, “thank you, Linus!”) seems incredibly smart and puts me in a “IT COULD WORK!” mood. Inevitably, that same idea turns into catastrophe the morning after. So sleep your troubles away. There’s nothing like a good 8 hours sleep (okay, I won’t fool anyone, I usually sleep something like 5 or 6 hours per night, if I’m lucky, but it works quite well anyway) and focus on the point the next day. Your face skin will thank you.

3. Being friends with an ex is not impossible, it’s just freaking hard

Whoever said being friends with an ex is impossible? Well, most of the time it’s as hard as a brick in your back, but there’s a way. Ted and Robin stayed friends after their relationship. It wasn’t simple, mostly because Ted was so clearly still in love with her. However, I truly believe in their friendship apart from his feelings. I like the way they support each other. Someone may call it love, and could be, in a sort of way. When you do care for somebody you don’t want him or her to go away. After a break-up recovery time, of course, in which passive-aggressive voice messages (what if Robin had downloaded Girls’ Forbid app on her phone?) aren’t included. If it’s mutual, there’s a chance to make the friendship work.

4. Pause the fight

Fights could be tricky. You could say (read yell) things you don’t mean and that could be gross. I’m not always able to think rationally when I’m fighting over something I care about with somebody I care about, so I should try to use more Marshall and Lily’s approach. Pausing the fight doesn’t mean you’re faking peace. A little break lest you blow off some steam and think about the argument quietly so you won’t ruin everything. It could work for any kind of relationship: teen and parents, impulsive lovers, sharp-tongued friends.

5. Accepting 10 slaps in a row is wiser, but 5 to be issued from now to eternity is way funnier

Okay, slaps have increased in number during the years, becoming 8 (remember the Ducky Tie? Barney didn’t want to wear it, three more slaps for him). We’re still waiting for the last one to be issued after the hilarious Tarantino style Slappointment in Slapmarra episode in which Marshall learns the fine art of slapping in order to give his well-dressed friend a perfect 7th slap. Should Barney have chosen 10 slaps in a row? No. Anyway, I wouldn’t ever slapbet against someone with Marshall’s hands size.

6. Bass players are cool, cooler if they’re girls

I’ve always tried to find my place in the wide musical instruments world. As a child I tried with piano, but that was not just my style. And then it was guitar time. But, again, no. I decided at a very recent point in my life that bass could be the solution and, even if I can only play a couple of songs (for now!), I know it will work out. Plus, according to a very accurate research (test included two friends, one lover and, of course, Ted Mosby and his cliché sexual fantasies), guys find female bass players quite attractive, which is sort of a bonus.

7. To everything there is a season

This is probably my favorite line ever in HIMYM. For those of you who really are into the show, you’ll certainly remember it’s written right outside the church of the wedding-to-be between Barney and Robin. Waiting for our season could be disappointing and exhausting, face it. The perfect chance will come sooner or later to those who can be patient, they say. But if you’re not, just like me, well, you can help fate a little bit. It’s not over until it’s over, isn’t it? So try harder and harder, just like Ted did with Robin. I still ship them and I do hope they’ll find a way (even if I think The Mother is great), but I know you also have to be strong and let someone you love go, when the time comes.

That’s what I’m going to do with HIMYM. Let it go, mourn for a reasonable amount of time and after that, well, a look at How I Met Your Dad won’t kill me, right?