There’s the friend who offers to come to the hard doctor’s appointment with you, offering to take time off of work to drive with you and hold your hand.
The friend who sits across from you at lunch and tells you there’s no scoreboard, no rulebook, that she’s not judging you now or ever.
The friend who’s been in your life since you were tiny children, who knows you in a way no one else possibly could.
The friend who greets you at her door with snacks and a box of tissues when you let her know you’re feeling fragile.
The friend who gifts you a handwritten letter, multiple pages long, reminding you to follow your own heart and trust your choices.
The friend who’s left you voice messages back and forth for years on end, across time zones and living spaces and pandemics and partners.
The friend who you rarely see in person, ever in your lives, but who is someone you can confide in and rely on without fail.
The friend who offers to come over just to sit and read with you, knowing that being alone can feel impossible sometimes.
There’s not a lot that I can say about the world with absolute certainty, but one thing I know for sure is that the relationships I have with friends, the ones I’ve intentionally chosen and fostered and worked for, are some of my greatest gifts.
There is nothing quite like a good friend 🥹