Open Letter To End All Open Letters

Anyone who has a Facebook page or frequently goes onto the Odyssey’s webpage knows that “Open Letter To (insert beloved person/object here)” articles are way overdone. I have come across hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of them, and they all say the same thing: thank you so and so for inspiring me and making me the person I am today -- blah, blah, blah. They're all the same. They are ridiculously overdone, so here is the letter to end all open letters.

Open letter to my best friend.

Dear Best Friend,

Wow, we’ve been through so much together. We’ve had our ups and downs, but no matter what, we always end up laughing. From our late night ice cream and movies to taking a spontaneous Instagram-worthy vacation together, everything has been an adventure. Even though we’ve only known each other for two months, you know absolutely everything about me. I don’t know what I would have done without you by my side.

Thank you for making me into the person I am today. #blessed.

Open letter to my mom.

Dear Mom,

Thank you for always being there for me. Friends come and go, but you have always been here to support me. Even though we can never agree on anything, I will always ask for your opinion on everything. Remember all of those years where I thought you weren't cool? Well, that was out of love (obviously). At least I would like to think so now. I’m really sorry about all that. But you put up with me because you love me. Because you have to. Because you're my mom.

Thank you for making me into the person I am today. #blessed.

Open letter to my dad.

Dear Daddy,

Thank you for being my #1 supporter since day one. You taught me how to be competitive and how to fight back. Your stubbornness and willingness to stand up for your beliefs were passed down to me, and for that, I am forever grateful. There is no one who I look up to more. No matter how old I am or how many stupid mistakes I make and regret, I’ll always be your little princess.

Thank you for making me into the person I am today. #blessed.

Open letter to my future husband.

I haven’t met you yet, but I know that you are perfect and that you will love me and I will love you. Even though you will be flawed, you will have so many good qualities that I find attractive [insert unrealistic checklist for future husband here]. After we get married, our life is going to be a fairytale. We are going to travel the world, buy a nice house on some land, have four children, three dogs, and one cat (because everything always goes according to plans, right?). Have I mentioned that I already love you so much even though we haven't met?

I know that you will make me be a better person, so I'll go ahead and thank you in advance. #blessed

Open letter to my pet.

Dear Pet,

I love you. In fact, I love you more than most people. Unlike the judgmental humans that we are, you love me unconditionally for who I am (at least I like to think so). Thanks for always being there. You always listen to all of my problems and cuddle up with me when life gets rough.

Thank you for listening to me when no one else will (which basically made me into the person I am today) #blessed.

Open letter to my hometown/favorite place.

Dear Hometown,

Thank you for giving me the best place to grow up. I know that while I was there I complained about how I hated it, but now that I’m gone, I miss it more than anything. What I wouldn't give to go back. *sigh*

Thank you for giving me memories and experiences that have made me into the person I am today. #blessed.

In case you couldn’t figure it out, some of these summaries were slightly sarcastic while others did hold some truth. In no way am I bashing the open letters that have been published. They hold meaning, personal feelings, and values to the authors - especially when the letter is addressed to a specific person -- and I respect that.

Like the other authors of online open letters, I love my parents, friends, pets, or whatever else is being written about dearly and am truly blessed to have all of them in my life. Of course, I want to thank them for everything they've done for me, but I feel like there is a better way to do that than by sharing online letters written by other people. If we want to show others how we truly feel, we need to do something more personal. We need to do something significant that shows a greater appreciation -- something that requires more work than three clicks of a mouse.