An Open Letter To My Friends
Hey there you fantastic, beautiful, loving human <3
Words can never express how much you mean to me, truly. I hope you know it doesn’t matter whether I see you everyday, once a week, once a month, once a year. You were in my life for some of my scariest and happiest moments. From courtrooms, coffee dates, car jam sessions, living on a whole other continent together, random roomies, graduating virtually for our undergrad (sad), birthdays, prom, making caramel apple cider mimosas, sunrise hikes, Facetime calls and so much more. My favorite memories are when I had your company.
I hope I make you feel so wanted and appreciated because you’re the reason for me falling in love with who I am and my life. Your dedication for ultimate frisbee showed me that I love watching the game and supporting you. Your passion for kiddos and making them feel heard and use their voice made me appreciate speech language therapists. Your love for carefree adventure brought me to staying in a sailboat that we had to kayak to in the Keys. Your spontaneous ideas had me booking a trip to Namibia and I never thought I would say I camped out in the middle of the Namibian desert with strangers. Your 10+ years of friendship widened my heart and proved that true love doesn’t just exist with a significant other. Your love for your little family you started with your husband showed me the purest form of what life is about. Your love for Fitness and making videos showed me the wealth of being comfortable in your own skin holds. Your realization of the love you deserve was right in front of you despite backlash it may cause showed me your strength and self-worth that I desire.
Everything that you love and are passionate about are what I love about you. Please keep being who you are and don’t hide those imperfectly perfect pieces of who you are from me or the world. I wouldn’t have had the experience, friendships and genuine conversations if it wasn’t for you.
Thank you for loving my high-energized self all the way down to my reserved, quiet self. You saved me from some of my darkest, scariest moments. I hope you know that. You constantly show me that you have my back and are there for me in each of your own ways. Whatever our relationship looks like now, please know that I smile every time a memory flashes through my mind, something reminds me of you or a picture comes across. You impacted my life for the rest of my life and I thank you for that. I hold no hate or unkind thoughts for anyone. We may not be in each other’s lives now because of distance, priorities and varying phases in our life and that’s okay. Cherishing our story on how we met and what our lives looked like when we were constants for each other will always be in my heart.
Don’t feel bad if we haven’t talked in years, months, days. I feel like I could do better too but I understand. But, just know that I see you. I check up on you (in the most non-Joe Goldberg way). I saw you graduate after being in school for years, I saw you announce your pregnancy after trying a baby for so long, I see you kicking Cancer and a brain tumor’s ass. I see you trying a new job and path in your life, FOR YOU. You’re dong great and I’m so so proud of you.
You are/were in my life for a reason. A reason that I am so grateful for. Please believe that you are worthy of a beautiful life that is abundant with great friendships, wonderful mornings and the best chocolate lava cakes you’ve ever had.
Promise me that you will follow through with your dreams and believe that you can do it. The worst thing that can happen is it wasn’t the outcome you wanted, but maybe it was the outcome you needed :) Your friendship is/was the best gift. Thank you for being in my life.
Never lose that kind spirit. You may not feel recognized or noticed for everything you do for others but I see it. I chose my friends wisely ;) I pride myself on my intuition and can pick out genuine humans and want to surround myself with that. So, know that you are so loved by me and appreciated. I kick myself for not being there more for you but just know that this is my way of making up for lost time, conversations and times I wish I could physically be there for you.
However we met, whether that be from working at the hospital, know me from my small town, had class together at UNI, Bumble BFF, living in South Africa, living in the desert together, a cheesehead like me (even if I’m not a local), a friend of a friend, etc. We were meant to cross paths, however long that road lasted.
Find Your Yellow Friendships <3