Dear Friend,

As 2017 comes to an end, I’m looking back on this year, and I can’t imagine my life without you. Honestly, you’re kinda weird and so completely different than me, and sometimes I wonder why in the world we are friends. But mostly, I am amazed that through all my flaws, imperfections, random thoughts, and sarcastic comments, you still say yes to hanging out with me and yes to being my friend day after day. I can’t get over how lucky I am that out of all the people in this world, we crossed paths and became friends.

So in the spirit of the holiday season and practicing gratefulness...

Thank you for walking with me across campus to help me find my ACCESS card when you could’ve spent time working on an essay that was due in a few hours. Thank you for always making sure that the restaurant we were going to was vegan-friendly and that there was something for me to eat besides salad. Thank you for inspiring me day after day to be a more positive person and for always making my day brighter. Thank you for being that guy who picks up plastic water bottles thrown on the grass and for constantly reminding me that there are good people in the world like you. Thank you for always asking me how I am twice, because you know the first time I’ll just say okay or fine when you know I am not. And thank you for telling me it’s okay not to be okay and texting me back immediately when you know I needed someone to talk to.

Thank you for going on walks around campus at night, even though you’re from Hawaii and not used to the “cold.” Thank you for always opening the door to your bedroom to have me over. Thank you for your willingness to have 12 am deep talks at 12 pm in the middle of Benson and for being that person I can talk to about anything and everything. Thank you for sharing your family’s culture with me and telling me about all the Peruvian foods that exist. Thank you for waking up at 8 am when your first class isn’t until 9:15 am just so we can catch up since that’s the only time we’re both not busy. Thank you for being so open and honest and sharing your views on God and religion and for respecting mine. And thank you for letting me borrow your book of poems and not complaining when I didn’t return it till 4 weeks later (you don’t know how much I needed those words in my life).

Thank you for helping me with my chemistry lab at 11 pm at night — me frantic and stressed out — because I was stupid and waited until the night before to look at it. Seriously, thank you for taking the time to help me with chemistry homework even though you had your own stuff to study for and weren’t getting paid for tutoring me. Thank you for choosing not to sleep in on a Sunday morning just so you could get breakfast with me and accommodate my schedule. Thank you for making corny jokes and endless puns even though I always tell you to stop because they really aren’t that funny. Thank you for not listening to me but choosing to keep doing what makes you uniquely you.

Thank you for being present. For not looking at your phone when you’re with me but engaging in the conversation and living in the moment. Thank you for introducing me to your favorite artists and sharing the playlists that make you feel all kinds of emotions. Thank you for disagreeing with me and challenging my beliefs about the well-being of animals — which are so different than yours — because that’s what makes the conversation interesting. Thank you for going out of your comfort zone to meet new people with me and playing frisbee with a bunch of randos during Welcome Week. Thank you for reminding me of all the things I have in life to be grateful for. Thank you for never ceasing to ask me about my day and especially for never complaining about my choice in music that I blast in the room, even though I’m 100% sure that none of my favorite songs are in your music library.

Thank you for every single conversation we had: whether it was the hour-long car ride about social justice and boys on the way to the Halsey concert or that 15-minute conversation after CORE about playing piano and memory tricks. Thank you for the adventures: hiking Mission Peak, trying Indian food for the first time, and walking to Target and the mall. Thank you for the hugs, for tagging me on Facebook because something you saw reminded you of me, for paying for my food when I was low on meal points, for listening and remembering things about me I don’t even remember telling you, and for your endless honesty, kindness, and love.

Thanks for being what a friend should be and more. I’m so grateful for our friendship and I love you.

Happy Holidays, amigo.

Manders