There is a definitive moment in a person’s life where they become acutely aware of the fact that they found their soul mate. I’m not talking about the person they’ll spend the rest of their life waking up to each other every morning. I’m talking about that weird person who turned around in Statistics class senior year of high school and started asking you non-math related questions, who, somehow, changed your life forever. So, to that person, my best friend: Thank you.
I’ve come to learn, especially in adulthood, how quickly you can lose friends—and not just friends, but people you once considered your best friends, too. But with you, it’s never a question of what terms we’re on. We laugh like distance hasn’t separated the two of us. I love you like family, and I value you more than anyone. You aren't just a friend, you are the sister I never had, my soul mate and the reason my days are filled with happiness, love and laughter. Life sometimes pulls the rug from under our feet. Suddenly, we find ourselves broken and unable to get back up. When I thought all hope was gone, you were always there to sweep me off of my feet, dust me down and tell me everything was going to be OK. When everyone else had left the room, you were the only one still cheering and giving me that little piece of hope to carry on. Thank you for letting me pour my heart out, for listening and for not just telling me what I want to hear. Thank you for hating the people who have hurt me and for loving the other special people who fill my heart. Thank you for staying constant in a world full of change and chaos. And thank you for just being there when I needed you.
Some people come into our lives and barely leave a trace, others leave a string of footprints etched upon our hearts, letting us know they are with us every step we take. I just wanted to say thank you for being the most beautiful person, inside and out. Thank you for making the world a better place, just by being in it. Thank you for making colors a little brighter, sunshine a little warmer and hugs a little better. Thank you for loving more fiercely than anyone I know. Thank you for defining selfless and always putting others before yourself; you are going to change the world just as much as you have changed mine.
You taught me to always be truthful. "Do I look good in this dress?" A question that many friends will ask each other, and yet, will not receive the honest answer. If my dress is a little on the see-through side, you’ll be the first to let me know. If my make-up looks more orangutan than summer tan, you’ll be the first to say “You look like an Ompaa Loompa!”
Thank you for being my partner-in-crime, my drinking buddy, my gossip girl, my personal life coach, my dancing partner and so much more. Thank you for all the glorious memories, wrapped up in a bow of nostalgia.
As we grow up, people allow time and distance to act as a barrier and an excuse for relationships ending and failing. But ours hasn’t. And I don’t think it ever will. Thank you for that.
Fifty years from now, I hope I will still be cushioned under your protective wing. I have no doubt that you will still be the person who could turn my every frown into a smile, the person who lifts me up when I am losing faith and the person who carries my tears on her shoulders. I can confidently say that we will still be busting out those same dance moves, watching Bridesmaids on repeat and laughing so hard our stomachs hurt in the nursing home
When pulling an “all-nighter” means getting up to pee, “getting lucky” means winning bingo and the candles cost more than the cake, I promise we will still be the best of friends!
