I dare you to fall in love…with your friends

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There’s nothing wrong with wanting to live for people, die for people and causes. I just believe some of us choose to reevaluate again and again who that quest is deserving of.

Like Whitney Houston said: learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.

The friends I know, to this day, believe in my becoming. They see my greatness and I see theirs too.

This is a love letter to my friends.

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Dear precious friend,

You are my moon. You are my sun.

Even when I haven’t seen you in many moons, your love remains close.

Thank you for not letting me be an island on my own.

Thank you for always being there when you can.

Thank you for embroidering love in word and deed.

You, my friend, adorn me with affection that feels like home. Not the home of walls, windows, and doors, but something deeply nested inside me. Something grounded where I am more than enough.

Thank you for knowing I can’t make it by myself.

Yet still, at times, the loving reminder to trust and be my own shelter.

Thank you for joining my healing journey.

Your arrival feels like a syrupy sap and serum to my wounds. Your being is tender. You restore peace where it’s been interrupted.

Thank you for seeing the light in me. From the moment I saw you, I too witnessed your breathtaking beams.

Photo of a sunrise by Nick Scheerbart on Unsplash

I’m glad the universe chose us to be in community with one another. A trusted adviser I can share my grief and joy with.

A human who exists with the best parts of their ancestors.

I love the way you access life with buoyancy and fervor.

I love the questions you wrestle with. Never fixed. You wonder and wander.

I love the way our children get to see our more gentle selves. We let them live a more gentle childhood. This, only because we choose to be models — we’re in a more gentle space with ourselves.

I love that you and I don’t run from our problems. I love that we both know they have debts to pay.

I love how witty you embrace life. You cradle me with a belly full of laughs. You and I bring the fullness of our smiles to the rainbows above. You’re utterly funny even when life hurts. I can’t stand you and I will sit with you all at the same time.

I love how nothing hard has ever broken your glow.

I love how in the deepest parts of me, that sometimes feel shattered, that you see nothing incapable of repair.

I love how much you invite me into your heart. You’ve given me a banquet of goodness. We are an interchange of abundance.

We openly and freely express love. I love the way others feel and gravitate to our energy.

I love that I’ve hit a turning point with my views on love. I’ve retired from love’s exclusivity in romantic, intimate partners I once centered.

Photo of a pink rose with a stem and leaves resting on top of pink notebook. Photo by Anne Spratt

I’ve poured my heart out to lovers. Many love letters received, yet emotionally went undelivered. Lovers with half reflected and misguided souls. Lovers that in my yesterday, couldn’t have been worth the time of day.

I don’t regret trying. I don’t regret being who I thought I had to be in those moments. Each one offered me great lessons.

Deep loss has always brought me my biggest gifts in life.

The act of soul-pouring is sacred. To you, dear one worthy enough to be in my midst, you have shown me you can nurture, hold, and care. You continue to show me the power of what can grow with the right soil, sun, and water.

You are worthy. You exact a life that breathes life to others because you remain close to your core.

You have permission to choose you.

You get to be yourself with me. It’s not heavy to be in my midst. There’s no chance to be a burden. May self-love be your greatest North Star.

Dear friend, thank you for being on this planet with me. Thank you for your gold.

I’m so glad our souls have met and continue to melt and mold. In this lifetime, you continue being a beautifully exquisite delight. I marvel at your creation so divinely made.

Thank you for being here. I hope you know you matter.

Thank you for reminding me that good friends love fiercely.