16 life lessons we learned from 'This is Us'

In 2022, the sentimental six-year journey of the Pearson family came to an end. While it may have broken our hearts in several episodes, there are so many life lessons that we can carry with us.

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...that you can't make something resembling lemonade. The doctor who delivers the triplets says this in the very first episode and we see it come alive during the whole series. We can always make the best out of a bad situation.

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Chance encounters with strangers shape our futures in ways we may never suspect. Jack and Rebecca's elderly neighbors give them an old, used crock-pot that would change their lives forever, leading to the fire and to Jack's death.

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This is something we see throughout the whole series: joy and sadness, births and deaths, marriage and divorce, successes and failures.

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The story jumps in time covering almost 100 years of the Pearson family and we see how the decisions of those who came before us alter the outcome of our lives.

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When we first see Kevin, he's a famous rich actor and a ladies' man, but he's not satisfied. The same goes for Randall, who's a successful businessman but suffers from anxiety issues.

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Randall had anxiety attacks since childhood, still, he doesn't see a therapist until he's in his thirties. Then he realizes his anxiety goes beyond his job. It's related to his parents and his upbringing as a black child in a white family.

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Even though Randall is raised in a loving family, the Pearsons never acknowledge his blackness or the racism that happens in the US, until his therapist encourages him to speak to his adoptive family about this.

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Kevin has to go through alcoholism and a long process to find his way in life. Kate struggles with her weight and self-esteem for a long time until she embraces who she is. Randall goes through a long process to be able to forgive his birth parents for abandoning him.

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After Jack's death, we see how the big three and Rebecca, are all affected in different ways and have different reactions.

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When Randall goes to a therapist, he tells her that if his dad hadn't died, everything would've been different, but the therapist makes him realize that that's just an idealist view of life and that there's no way he could know how his life would've turned out.

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They are human and make mistakes, and usually, they do the best they can with the knowledge and awareness they had.

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We all wanted to believe Katoby would never end but the truth is, we all grow and change through life and we don't always do it in the same direction as our partners and that's okay.

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The show constantly highlights the importance of family, but it also portrays how rivalry between siblings is so common, in childhood, as well as in adulthood. Nevertheless, it shows the importance of mending those unique relationships.

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Kate always feels like she's behind her brothers. While they marry young, she meets her first husband in her late thirties and doesn't have a job she loves until her forties. But we learn that it's not too early or too late for anything. Everyone is on their own timeline.

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If something makes you sad when it ends, it's because it made you happy while it was happening. At the end of her life, Rebecca realizes how sad she is to go, and William reminds her it's because she had a wonderful life.

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We collect little moments every day but don't really realize their importance until we're older. Something as simple as having comfort food made by your mom as a kid can become one of your best memories as an adult.

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