Serendipity. It’s a word with which I have recently become fascinated. It’s the idea that some of the best things in this world happen when we're least expecting them to. Perhaps, some of these things were meant to happen also. It's serendipitous destiny.

I met some of my best friends when we all happened to show up late to cross country practice one day. I was convinced for a while that we became friends because of this circumstance. That if it didn't happen, we wouldn't have ever become friends. But I was wrong. Nothing but sheer serendipity is the foundation upon which our friendship still stands today: we became best friends out of pure predetermination.

I am convinced that no one we meet in this world passes along our life paths for no certain reason. Everyone we meet is met for a reason. I am certain that my best friend and I were destined to cross paths. Whether it was at that practice we showed up late to or later on in our lives — we were meant to be find each other.

She is my soul mate. My other half. The one person in this world who knows me better than I could ever understand myself. Lots of people say that our soulmates are the people who fill in the missing pieces of ourselves. That they are called our “other halves” because they add to who we are while we add to who they are. They are what make us whole; they complete us.

But my best friend is not my soulmate because she fills in any sort of missing pieces. She is my soulmate because she is the mirror through which I can best see myself for who I already am.

Our soulmates should not be filling in any missing spots. They do not come into our lives to change who we are. Nor should we feel obligated to reciprocate this to them. We are not empty. We are all whole. What makes a best friend a soulmate is that they are someone who encourages us to be our purely true selves. They love us for who we are. You need not be changed — you're loved because you are you. And that's one of the most beautiful blessings we can get in this world.

My best friend is my soulmate in this life. (Or at least one of very few; you can have plural soulmates.) I’d admit this to anyone, because you don’t have to have a romantic or sexual relationship just to love someone.

I say “I love you” more often than most would say I should. But I say it because I mean it. I say it because it isn’t a phrase restricted to romantic relationships. “I love you” is a sign of affection; if I say it, it means you’re important to me. It means I'm grateful our paths have crossed. It means that even though we were meant to meet one another anyways, I am glad we did. You are serendipity at its finest.

Every time we speak, my best friend and I say "I love you." We've been teased for doing this. There's a stigma behind the phrase, "I love you." But like I said, we don't say it because we are in love with each other. We say it because we do love each other.

We know that our souls are twins. No matter where in the world we may be, our souls are inseparable. We can go for days without talking to each other. Months without seeing one another. Weeks without sufficient contact. And yet, eerily, I will often know when she's upset. She will know what's going on in my life even if I don't tell her. There's something to say about the way we somehow know what the other is thinking. This is pure friendship. This is what a soulmate is.

“Our universe grants every soul a twin — a reflection of themselves — the kindred spirit. And no matter where they are or how far away they are from each other — even if they are in different dimensions, they will always find one another. This is destiny; this is love.” - Julie Dillon.