I’ve been seeing a lot of articles lately of people writing to best friends who have left or best friends who are no longer best friends. I understand the pain that comes from losing a best friend, I’ve lost my share of them. But, instead of dwelling on the pain of the past, I want to take the time to say a thank you to the best friends who have never left.

One of you is in Taiwan right now, no doubt on your way to winning some kind of world award because that’s the kind of person you are, and one of you is off in North Carolina, being brilliant and educating young scholars, so I don’t know if either of you will have the time to read this, but I’m going to write it anyway, because one day you will, and you deserve to hear it.

You’ve seen me through all my cringe-worthy middle school years, you sat with me through the h*ll that was high school, and most recently, you’ve stood by me through the roller coaster that was college. There are a million things that I could thank both of you for, but here are the ones I deem the most important.

1. Thank you for fangirling with me.

There have been numerous times where I know I would have felt silly or stupid for being so excited about one thing or another. But because I had one or both of you there, fangirling and being excited right along with me, I never had to feel alone, and growing up, that was one of the most comforting feelings in the world.

2. Thank you for never thinking any less of me.

It takes a special kind of person to hear that I thought chicken and turkey were the same thing for the better part of my life and not bat an eyelash. It takes an even more special type of person to see me cry and know exactly what to do. Thank you both for seeing me at my weakest and never letting that affect how you viewed me as a person.

3. Thank you for always being a phone call away.

The number of times my mom asked me, “Didn’t you just see her an hour ago? Why are you calling her now?” because I had called you two minutes after you left my house when we were growing up and that is something I will never be able to live down. Thank you for always picking up the phone. Thank you for always lending me your ear when I needed it.

4. Thank you for believing in me.

You were always the first people to say “yes” when I wondered if I could do something. Regardless if that was something small, like asking a question about something on the menu, or something big, like going to Harvard - spoiler alert, I didn't make it to Harvard, but that was through no fault of your own - I could always count on you to give me a pep talk. You both have always been my biggest cheerleaders, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough for that.

5. Thank you for helping me to carry my dreams.

It’s safe to say we all had a lot of big dreams growing up. Some of them were a lot more outlandish than others – I distinctly remember we were supposed to be in a world-famous band at this point in our lives - but you were always there to help me carry those dreams and keep them afloat, even when I felt like they were impossible.

6. Thank you for never giving up on me.

I am a lot to handle at my best, and I know I'm not easy to handle at my worst, but you guys never let that bother you. You've stuck with me through it all, and even though we've fought, you two have never really left my side. I don't think I will ever be able to fully express how much that means to me.

7. Thank you for calling me out on my sh*t when I needed it.

I'm not always able to tell when I'm overreacting, or when I was being too much, or when I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and get things together, so it's been a blessing to have people who aren't afraid to tell me how it is. It was never done in an insensitive way, and I know it was always done with care, and I appreciate the fact that I could always count on you to tell me the truth whenever I needed it.

8. Thank you for constantly inspiring me.

I have never in my life met two people who are so inspiring. I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much I admire your confidence, nor have I ever told you how much I admire your motivation and dedication, so, I’m taking the chance to tell you that now. I have never met people so driven to achieve their goals, and I am constantly in awe of the lengths you will go to make sure you get what you want. I know that you know that you deserve every bit of good that comes your way, but I’ll tell you anyway. You deserve it, and you’d deserve it even if you didn’t work for it, but you deserve it even more because you do.

You both are so extremely important to me, and I could not have been blessed with better best friends. Thank you for sticking around through the highs and the lows, and for always reminding me of my worth. I can only hope that I have been as good a friend to you as you have been to me these past years.