I don't know what I can say to make people understand how important it is to have a best friend. It seems to me that everything about best friends has already been said, and everyone in the world knows that to have a best friend is to have someone that you can lean on and know without doubt that they will take your weight. Sometimes you lean on each other, and maybe it's a bit of a balancing act to make sure you both stay upright without crashing down because one of you pushed too far to one side. But a best friend - a true best friend - will help you get back up if you do fall. And if you are a true best friend, you will take some of their weight on the way back to your feet, and start again.
The thing about Teigen Erickson is that no matter what is going on in her life, bad or good, she will always put that aside if you need her. Because she of all people understands how hard it can be when the world keeps trying to bury you underneath all the crap it throws in your direction. She knows how it feels to be drowning without a hand to pull you up, so she will always be that hand. She has taught me more than anyone else what it means to be a lifeline for someone who needs it, all because she has been that lifeline for me so many times. I've learned that I'm strong enough to hold both her and myself up, because she's doing the exact same thing. We can lean on each other at the same time and know that we won't fall; we've fallen before, and we got back up and figured out how to walk that tightrope without ever letting the other go.
She's so beautiful and amazing to me. She has this wonderful strength that she doesn't even realize she has. There is never a dull moment with her, even if all we do is watch YouTube videos and show each other memes. I've grown with her in a way that I don't think I've grown with anyone else, and a part of who I am is because of her. We don't live near each other anymore, and I miss her every day, but I have no doubt that this is a friendship that will last me for the rest of my life.
I love you, Teigen. Hopefully we'll see each other soon.
