I can remember the first time that I met my best friend, my person. Frankly, I thought she was loud and intimidating, and I was a bit scared of her, to be honest. It wasn’t until four years later that we found ourselves actually becoming friends, and looking back on it now, it still astonishes me. Anyone who knows us knows that we are basically opposites, like day and night, but somehow we have an amazing relationship and we work together so well. For about five years now, she has been my best friend, my person, sister, partner-in-crime, inspiration, and so much more. Most of all, she is the person who gives me the courage to keep going.

It still amazes me how well we get along. We hardly ever get into arguments, and if we do, we find a way to resolve it quickly because we understand that our friendship is more important than a petty disagreement. When I say that we are opposites, I truly mean it. We come from different backgrounds, and our views on most things are opposite. Even something as simple as our tastes in clothing oppose one another (which makes shopping quite an interesting experience). She is bold and unafraid, whereas I’m more reserved and hesitant. Even a lot of our interests are on opposite ends of the spectrum, and the amount of things we don’t have in common are more numerous than what we do have in common.

I’ve come to learn over the years that being opposites is what makes our friendship so strong. We balance each other out in the best way, and I think that a lot of the time, we are just what the other person needs. When I’m feeling afraid and hesitant when making a decision, she gives me the courage to take a chance. Likewise, when she’s considering doing something a bit too risky, I can talk her down a bit and remind her that she needs to be cautious and aware of consequences, always. I read a quote somewhere that said something about finding a soul mate in a friend, not just in a romantic relationship. I believe this is completely true, because I think that my best friend and I were meant to find each other. We have helped one another to grow so much, and I honestly don’t know where I would be today if it wasn’t for her.

I feel like I’ve spent a lot of my life being afraid- afraid to speak up, afraid to take a chance. My best friend is a lot of wonderful things, but the thing I love about her the most is that she is bold and brave, almost to a degree of being fearless. She takes chances, and does spontaneous things, and I long to be more like her in that sense. For all of the things she’s endured she never stops fighting, and she never loses her strength and courage. She makes me brave. She makes me want to be bold and unafraid, and because of her, I have become more like that. My best friend has helped me to discover my best version of myself, and I’ve taken so many leaps of faith since knowing her.

Though we may be opposites, I’m beyond thankful for my best friend. I’m grateful for the ways in which we love each other, uplift one another, and bring out the best in each other. I don’t know why the universe chose me to be her best friend, but I’m beyond lucky that I get to have such a wonderful person in my life.