Thank you for still considering me one of your closest friends, even though we don’t see each other every single day like we used to back when we were young. For understanding that the strength of our friendship has no correlation with how often we see each other. For knowing that, no matter how far away I am or how distant I’ve become, I still love you like a sibling.

Thank you for making the small amount of time that we do spend together feel worthwhile. For helping me relax when I am in the mood to scream. For making me laugh when I thought even smiling would be an impossibility. Thank you for giving me memories that will last a lifetime.

Thank you for never forgetting about me. For including me in your summer plans. For texting me during holidays. For tagging me in ridiculous posts on Facebook and Instagram, because you haven’t stopped thinking about me.

Thank you for acting like no time has passed whenever we see each other again. For falling right back into our same routine. For laughing at the same stupid inside jokes and drinking the same shitty liquor. For being the same person that I remember meeting back in the day, even though years (even decades) have passed.

Thank you for being there for me, even when I feel like a shitty friend. When I go weeks without finding the time to see you face-to-face. When I sometimes go days without even texting you. When I make the conversation all about myself, because I’ve been struggling and need a shoulder to lean on and don’t even think about asking you how you’ve been because I blindly assume I have it worse.

Thank you for listening to my long rants, even when you have better ways to spend your free time. For answering my messages right away when you can tell that it’s urgent, even if you are stuck in class or on a hot date. Thank you for putting our friendship first, even when I don’t deserve your unlimited kindness.

Thank you for never holding my flakiness against me. For understanding that I can get overwhelmed with work and struggle to find the time for the people who matter the most to me. For knowing that, even if it takes me a while to answer a text or a snap, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to talk to you. It just means that I am swamped with responsibilities.

Thank you for giving a shit about me. For remembering my birthday. For asking about how my parents are doing. For caring about whether I passed or failed a class. For having an actual interest in my life, for actually remembering the little things, even though it would be easy for them to slip your mind after all the time we spend apart.

Thank you for being the best friend that I could ever ask for. Thank you for being exactly who you are.