The definition of "best friend," according to my brain and my heart is the following:

Thank you for being a friend.

Thank you for an overabundance of inside jokes.

Thank you for your mending hugs and your perfect timing.

Thank you for letting me see the sides of you that you might rather keep for yourself.

Thank you for opening your heart to me, and thank you for stealing mine.

Thank you for allowing me to be part of your family.

Thank you for your tenderness and sweetness.

Thank you for sticking with me and pushing through bad days and low months.

Thank you for not being afraid of arguing or yelling, for showing me you care, for showing me our relationship isn't fragile.

Thank you for being charitable, but also thank you for telling me when I'm wrong.

Thank you for forgiving my flaws, and thank you for letting me grow intimate with yours.

Thank you for giving me time and attention.

Thank you for understanding, or thank you for when you try to love me anyway when you don't understand.

Thank you for being an idiot.

Thank you for going places with me.

Thank you for sitting with me.

Thank you for cooking with me.

Thank you for your patience.

Thank you for being like me.

Thank you so much for being different from me.

Thank you for your smiles, your laughs, your eyes full of light, your hand squeezes, your big hugs.

Thank you for conversations – the easy ones, the deep ones, the uncomfortable ones and the unexpected ones.

Thank you for changing my life in so many ways that I don't understand. Thank you for your friendship.