The Last 'How I Met Your Mother' Feels Like An End To Something Bigger

We've met the mother. 

We saw Barney and Robin get married. We watched Lily and Marshall become parents.

(Oh, and if you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's Time Magazine's take on everything you need to know about the series finale.)

We've had nine years of foreshadowing and build up. It's been killing us. And here we are. We're finally going to see the moment Ted meets the mother of his children. 

But as they say, How I Met Your Mother has been more about the journey than the destination. Along the way we've made five best friends — characters who remind us of our own real-life friends and of ourselves. 

For many of us in that, ahem, 30- to 40-year-old window, we've grown up alongside the cast. We, too, have gone through break-ups and gotten married. We too have watched our careers take unexpected turns. We've also decided to become parents. And of course, we too have talked it all out over beers with our friends. 

So saying goodbye to Lily, Marshall, Barney, Robin and Ted won't be easy. It will be like admitting it's the end of an era. 

And maybe it is. At least we'll always have reruns.