If you don’t already know this about me, I’m a big fan of the TV show How I Met Your Mother. Tonight was the series finale and, to no surprise, it had me laughing and crying all at once. What can I say? I wear my emotions for the world to see!

One of the main takeaways from the show, and especially in tonight’s finale, was that you want your close group of friends to be there for your “big moments,” aka the weddings, children, career advancements, etc.

Of course, this idea had my mind racing. I’m 24 years old, turning 25 in a few months. I’m at that phase in my life where my friends are starting to get married and have kids, some already do. It’s so exciting to be a part of those moments, yet I keep thinking to myself that there were so many smaller moments that led up to those big milestones.

Before my best girlfriends were in long-term relationships that have or will eventually lead to marriage, there were smaller moments that got them there. There were nights of trash talking our exes and sobbing as we ate out of an ice cream carton. There were the butterfly moments of, “Oh my gosh, do you think he even likes me? Should I say something? What should I do?” Those moments seem trivial in retrospect, but they were imperative to get to the big moments that are happening now.

Before both myself and my friends landed jobs that we were actually excited to have, there were many dreadful moments that we went through together. Moments where I scooped ice cream for hours just to make a paycheck that covered not much more than the gas money that it took to get me there; time spent on the phone complaining and talking about how one day these ridiculous jobs would help us pave the way to where we truly wanted to end up.

Well that one day is starting to turn into today. And looking back, I am incredibly grateful that I was there for those now-trivial moments that brought me here. I know that when my big moments continue to come for both myself and the people who matter most in my life, they will mean so much more because the time it took for them to happen was spent with none other than those who helped me get there. 

It’s fascinating to me that each and every choice, action, and step we take very realistically shapes our lives and the futures we build for ourselves. We may fall and stumble and sometimes cry our way through it all, but if we have the right people by our sides — the ones who we trust, care for, and genuinely adore — then at least we can rest assured that our future will be worth the wait.

The big moments count, but don’t forget that the little moments are what it takes to get you there.