I spent a lot of time debating what to write about this week. I thought about approaching some sensitive political issues in light of Trump’s inauguration and the subsequent peaceful protests, but then I heard from my childhood best friend that her grandfather had passed away, and I changed my mind. What’s really on my heart today is how grateful I am to still have her as a friend after all these years. I know there are dozens of articles out there written to childhood best friends, but that’s okay. Every one of these articles is about a different friendship; this one is about mine.

Dear Love Pegasus,

We became friends because your mom forced you to invite me to your eighth birthday party; we bonded over our love of Avril Lavigne and having bossy big sisters. Although we were pretty much strangers until then, we were inseparable from that point forward. We were fixtures at each other’s houses on the weekends and developed so many inside jokes that we basically spoke our own language. I am forever thankful to have found a weirdo like you who made growing up in our boring small town not only bearable, but actually fun.

I’ll never forget the days we spent swimming in your pool, jumping on your trampoline, playing in your grandparents’ playhouse, sucking down Sunkist, ruining everything we tried to cook, taking pictures of pineapples, or nearly dying while sledding through the woods at my house. I’m thankful that even though I left home at sixteen, and we didn’t see each other or even talk very often, our friendship has stayed strong. I feel so fortunate, because I have discovered it’s somewhat rare to still be so close to your childhood best friend. Growing apart seems inevitable, and considering the fact we were both such prudes when we were younger, it’s amazing that we have ended up with basically the same (much more liberal) values and lifestyle today.

Everyone says they want a friend who they can spend time apart from and have their friendship not change at all. I’m not certain I agree with that; perhaps what I value most about our friendship is that it’s changed with us. It’s matured and strengthened over time. Once upon a time, we were talking about boys and learning to drive, while this year we are both facing loss for the first time in our lives.

When I was walking away from the gravesite right after my mom’s funeral, you were there beside me. I had been unable to cry all day because I was still so shocked; when I broke down in tears, your shoulder was there for me to cry on. You came to the beach with my family a few weeks later, just like another one of my dad’s kids, there to help keep the mood a little brighter. I hope you know how thankful we all were for that, and that I can somehow return the favor.

So here we are, growing up. We’re going out into the real world uncomfortably soon, and life is forcing us to deal with things that once seemed so far away, but I’m glad we still have each other. When the going gets tough, we can remind each other of how ugly we used to be, or how weird it is our first two kisses were with the same two boys. We can celebrate that we can finally legally drink alcohol instead of pretending sparkling grape juice is getting us drunk. And, as always, we can continue to be the most obnoxious people in any room we enter.

Lots of love to you forever ever ever,

<P3