Dear Best Friend,

First and foremost, thank you. Thank you for befriending me even though your first impression of me wasn’t the greatest. Thank you for putting up with how awkwardly I handle any situation. (I’m trying to work on that and learn from your example, but I think I’m doomed to be awkward forever.) Thank you for being up to binge watching anything and everything on Netflix with me or being down to go out. Thank you for being willing to go on any and every adventure no matter how big or how small. You’re always there, riding shotgun or driving, because let's be real—you’re usually the driver and I’m usually the DJ.

Thank you for letting me borrow your clothes without asking for whatever event I need to attend. Whenever I need to browse through your closet, I know I can do that without care. Thank you for being my therapist on hard days, my partner in crime on good days, and my Jiminy Cricket at a moment’s notice. I don’t think I’d be in as good of a shape as I am without your guidance.

Thank you for sticking by me when I’m cranky, or hard to be around. I know that I’m difficult. I know that at times I’m high maintenance and a pain in your butt. I truly appreciate you accepting me—flaws and all—with open arms. Thank you for letting me make mistakes (even the ones you advise me against) but still being there to either help me pick up the pieces, clean up the mess, and organize my thoughts after the fact. Thank you for being someone that I can laugh with, cry with, hang with, vent with and be myself with. I swear, without you and everything you do, I would be falling apart at the seams. Without you, I’d be insane, drowning in the stress and struggles that life brings in general, and that I unintentionally bring upon myself.

Thank you for taking the random things I say in stride. I know that sometimes I jump from thought to thought without an obvious correlation (but trust me there is one, no matter how obscure), but you never act surprised. You always answer it as if it’s a normal question. Thank you for never judging me. You never look down on me for the things I believe in or the actions I decide to partake in. You’re always willing to hear my side of things, and try to understand where I come from. I know I make stupid decisions, and I wish I could say that they’re all accidental, but I can’t. Yet, you’re still there, every time.

I know I don’t say it much, or hardly at all, but I’m so thankful for the opportunity to get to know you. I’m thankful for you and everything that you are. I’m thankful for everything that you do. You’ve helped shape me into a person I’m proud to be. So thank you. We’ve had our ups and downs. We’ve disagreed on many things. But at the end of the day, I know that you’re there for me in all aspects, just like I’ll be there for you—always.

I love you,

Best Friend