It’s that time of year… the air is getting colder and our stomachs are growling for those Thanksgiving feasts. There’s nothing wrong with grabbing another serving of stuffing or piling up your plate with turkey, but don’t forget to also dig into a helping of thankfulness!
Take advantage of the holiday and share your gratitude for the ones you love. Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to glance around the table and tell your family and friends why you’re thankful for each of them, or you can go as far as writing individual letters for everyone! Gratitude is beneficial not only for yourself but the others you share it with; when others know how thankful someone is for their actions, it induces positive feelings and boosts their outlook on themselves. This is why I’d like to write a letter to my forever best friend, who has stuck by my side through everything.
Dear best friend (you know who you are), I am so thankful for you.
In the past, whenever I’ve written you a note, either for a holiday or your birthday, the hardest part is always figuring out where to start… there are so many things I can thank you for.
I guess I’ll begin with all of our memories – if I hadn’t had you right next to me for our high school years, I don’t know if I would’ve survived. Everyone needs a best friend they can FaceTime spontaneously to share the latest gossip, drive around with at midnight searching for the next adventure, roast marshmallows with while the sun goes down, go to Applebee’s with and order the same thing every time (boneless wings, fries, and a lava cake to share), listen to the newest Halsey with while playing too many rounds of Mario Kart, and ask for honest advice.
One of the most difficult parts of going away to college was knowing you were going to be over five hours away from me, not five minutes like back at home. I know by now, in our junior years, we’ve adjusted to this distance, but we still end up texting each other once a week saying “I miss you.” I always look forward to week-long breaks like Thanksgiving since it means we get to reunite!
However, one of my favorite things about us is our resilience – that distance hasn’t changed a thing about our friendship; if anything, we’ve gotten closer and even more supportive of each other. We’ve realized we don’t have to be face to face all of the time to have such a strong friendship. It’s enough for us to just check in with each other once a day amidst our hectic school schedules. Some days we’ll talk more than others, but we do our best to keep each other up to date on our personal lives, anything from our relationship to a good grade on a test. That effort has meant so much to me these past few years. We’ve truly created such a deep and long-lasting friendship that I will forever treasure and be thankful for.
I’m not only grateful for our silly, high school memories together, but also our more serious moments. We’ve stuck together through all of our ups and downs without any judgments. I feel I can tell you anything, and you’ll be understanding and encouraging no matter what. For instance, when I confessed to you that I was in a relationship and it was with a girl, you were nothing but ecstatic for me, never sending one ounce of negativity – that was the exact reaction I needed. Everyone needs that kind of supportive friend.
You’ve taken me into your life more than a typical best friend does, your family making me one of their own. You are my forever best friend, my sister, and my number one supporter. Thank you for all you do for me. I can’t wait to watch our friendship evolve even more throughout the coming years, and I can’t wait to travel the world with you when we’re rich and successful!