Often, people forget to thank the people in their lives for what they’ve done for them. Unfortunately, things that should have been acknowledged, or things that mean the world to people, go unnoticed and underappreciated simply because of not knowing how to say “thank you, it means a lot to me,” or simply being afraid to say it.

I have a friend that has changed my life. From the minute I met her, I knew she was going to teach me more about myself and about people than I ever thought possible. She thinks about the world as a whole, as a place to do good, and she believes people are constantly teaching others, you just have to be open.

I learned that from her. We soon started doing everything together. At the time, I was a senior in high school and she was a junior, yet that didn’t seem to matter or change anything at all.

Going to a very small high school, all the teachers knew who we were and they soon equated us with one another. If one of us was seen walking the halls without the other, it was an odd day. I often was asked where she was or how she was doing by her old teachers, and she got asked the same questions about me. It was completely normal.

It became even more normal to sit on Facetime for hours after school and activities. We talked about everything, from the dynamic of our grandparent’s marriages to saying nothing at all. No conversation was off limits, and every emotion we felt was shared. I soon felt more comfortable being with her than without her.

She challenges me to be a better person. She believes in me and sees through my lies. There's no façade with her; there can’t be. Before I even say anything, she knows by the look in my eyes what my emotion is. There’s nothing like having this type of friend. When I do something I shouldn’t have, the disappointed look on her face is enough for me to try my hardest to never do that again. She truly makes me a better person.

Getting to hang out with her for hours on end and go on ridiculous adventures is one of my absolute favorite parts of being her friend. In high school, we would get lost and do things that I still think and laugh about today. I want to take this moment now to tell her thank you for never turning down my ridiculous ideas and always being my partner in crime.

I don’t say thank you enough. I don’t tell her how much she means to me enough. I didn’t realize that without her in my life, it would break my heart more than any fight we ever had. So if you’re reading this, this is me telling you that you mean a lot to me, that I love you, that without you, I am not the best version of myself.

My best memories of high school have you in them. My favorite pictures are the ones you’re in with me, because they show the dynamic of our friendship better than anything else.

This is my example of losing something that meant the world to me. Because I didn’t tell her that our friendship was my favorite thing nearly enough as I should have. I hope she knows I love her, and that I absolutely always will.

Tell them you love them. You need to. It’s more important than you think.