If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last year, it’s how to be okay with uncertainty. Moving all the way across the country and leaving my family and friends behind on the west coast taught me to embrace the unknown and all the new opportunities that come with it. I didn’t know who I’d hear from once I left, and I didn’t know which friendships would make it; one that I never doubted, though, was us. During Plebe Summer, my squad leader would hand out mail every night. It was easily the best part of every day. Letters from my parents, postcards from my cousins, and notes from my friends at home made me forget how tired I was and how long the day had been. My roommate and I would stay up late and read our mail; we got caught several times, but it was worth it. I loved hearing from my parents about what was going on at home, but it was a letter from you that impacted me the most. It was just four words long: “Suck it up, Buttercup”. I got it about two weeks into the summer, and I have had it on my corkboard ever since. From all the way across the country, you knew exactly what to say.

When I first read the note, it was just a quick, kind of cliché bit of motivation from the person who knows me better than anyone else. Almost seven months later, those four words – written in purple marker – get me through stressful days, bad practices, and anything to do with chemistry. Everyone is a cynic sometimes, and I’m no exception, but your voice telling me to suck it up is what reminds me to keep pushing and never quit just because things are hard. Sometimes that means staying up late to finish homework, sometimes it means holding on until our next FaceTime date.

I never doubted that we’d survive seeing each other only twice a year, or that we’d pick up right where we left off when we did. We see each other at Christmas, and, hopefully, summer. Sure, we don’t talk every day, or even every week (sorry). But on those occasions when we do catch up, it’s like you’re next to me. We’ve changed, of course. You’re killing it at Stanford, I’m making it through plebe year at USNA. Our college experiences have been very, very different so far, but we still have a lot in common. We both complain about chem midterms, but we also both do what we have to do to pass. We’ve met new people, tried new things, and done it without each other. We’ve both grown, but we haven’t grown apart. You’re still my first call when something great or confusing or devastating happens.

I don’t think you could have known the impact that four words would have on me, but I cannot thank you enough. They were exactly what I needed to hear then, and just about every day since; they motivate me more than any Pinterest quote or pep talk could. I may only get to see you every six months but every time tell myself suck it up, you’re right there with me in that last 800 sprint or muddling through chemistry homework at 2am. I’m so, so proud to call you my best friend, and even prouder of the awesome, kickass woman you are. I miss you like crazy, but I still have no doubt that one day we’ll be back on the same coast, and even if we aren’t, it will be okay. I’ll always be here to hate your ex’s even more than you do, to hold your hand at the tattoo shop, to debate the pros and cons of new Girl Scout cookies, and to tell you to suck it up when you’re going through tough times. I love ya, sister, and I’ll see you soon.

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