To B, Love E. (Version 2.0)

I love you because of your amazing spirit.  Other people would have looked at the massive amount of shit you’ve been through (and in) not only in the past year, but in your life, and long ago retired to the corner to curl up and cry.  You, on the other hand, not only continue on, but do with class (well, most of the time), determination, and strength that I’m not sure you even realize you display.

You’re my best friend because you understand me, and love me regardless of my mood swings and judgement of everything (including hippies.  Fucking hippies).  You understand me when no one else does (or even tries to) and somehow you don’t judge me for it. This kind of quiet and enduring love is rare, much like a person of your character, yet I was lucky enough to stumble upon it and you.

I love you because you sit quietly while I whip Tupperware around the apartment in an angry rage, and complain about messy cupboards and husbands.  You watch me throw away containers without lids and a 30 pack of coffee filters and say nothing, because you know I don’t drink fucking coffee anyway.  You don’t remind me that there’s probably a use for the lidless containers because you know missing lids isn’t the point of why I’m upset.  Sometimes it’s easier to be upset about the small things because the large things are just too overwhelming.

You’re my best friend because I don’t need to say anything to you in order for you to know exactly how I’m feeling.  You can tell if I’m happy, drunk, hurting, or ready to leave this bar because that bitch in that gross velour zip-up hoodie keeps looking at us.  We don’t start conversations on the phone, but rather get right to the point, starting with “I’m so sad” or “Why is she such a bitch?”. We can come home, sit down, and the other one will know exactly how our day went and open them a Diet Coke.

I love you because you also believe there is no absolute to any situation, and that black and white long ago delved into a grey area.  You taught me that at certain times, love is everything, but at others, love is nothing, and then there are some times when love is simply not enough. Or maybe we learned that from a Greys Anatomy episode, and we just credited it to ourselves.    However, I’ve learned that while there is no absolute, there is us, and our friendship.