1. She’s not always going to tell you everything will be alright. Other friends might tell you the same old bullshit that they think you want to hear but your best friend isn’t like that. She’s going to be like, “Hey, you know what? This might not work out the way you want it to and it might be really shitty for awhile but that’s okay. It’s just a part of life.” She’s not going to feed you any lines of positive thinking just to put a bandaid over a bigger issue.
2. She’s always going to force you out of your comfort zone when she knows it’s what you need. It’s so easy to get caught up in doing the same old things but your best friend knows when routine is becoming stale and monotonous and she isn’t afraid to push you to try something new, to force you out of your comfort zone. Maybe it’s signing up to do study abroad next year or maybe it’s applying for a promotion at work you’re totally qualified for but not sure if you could get. She’s there to push you to take the big, sometimes even scary, steps in life.
3. When an unfortunate soul you’re not into comes along and starts hitting on you your friend can immediately tell when you’re not feeling it. She can jump in and deflect the conversation asap. And if worse comes to worse you know she’ll be able to convince the dude you’re actually dating someone, even if you’re definitely not.
4. She’s the only one you can get to over-analyze all of your text messages from the cute dude you went on a date with and NOT think you’re a total psycho. She just gets it. She knows you NEED another female perspective and has no problem giving insightful advice on even the most basic seeming of text messages that could have SO MANY MEANINGS.
5. She’s pretty much the only person you can text when your day is going super shitty and with no questions asked she knows exactly what you need. Whether it’s ice-cream or your favorite box of wine she’s over as soon as she gets done with work or class and wants to hear ALL the details.
6. She reminds you to be realistic but comforts you when you fall. Your best friend knows you’re a big girl who can make her own decisions, even if she thinks those decisions are completely TERRIBLE. She knows a part of life is all about making mistakes and learning for them. She’ll keep you grounded but in the end, if it doesn’t work out, she’s there for you no matter what.
7. Your relationship with her makes you want to be better in your relationships with others. She’s the only person you can argue or have fights with and then be able to forgive after a 24-48 hour cooling period. When it comes to relationships or other friendships you have less patience but with your best friend you’re always willing to forgive and forget. You love her so much, even when she’s being stupid, even when she’s being a royal pain in the ass. Once you’re done being mad at each other you just want to go back to watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix or chatting it up at the 24 hour diner over midnight breakfast. You want to be able to have the same with someone else someday.
8. She helps you keep your eye on the bigger goals in life. It’s so easy to get distracted by our everyday routines, bad days at work, new romances, or impulse decisions. Your best friend is the one who’s like, “Yeah, I get it. But remember that one big thing you really wanted to accomplish this year? You’re getting kinda off track, babe.” And you’re reminded all over again about what you should really be focusing on. It’s one of those feel-good moments when you realize you have someone else really looking out for you and your best interest.
9. You have your own language that doesn’t even need explaining. Anytime you unexpectedly need her to cover for you or if you’re out together and give a sly side-eye she immediately picks up on it without a single word being spoken. This level of understanding is awesome and you haven’t been able to find it with anyone else. It’s rare and precious and makes you feel so grateful to have her in your life.
10. You recognize her strengths and become inspired to be a better person. Sometimes you get so caught up in your own life and what’s going on you’ll realize that you just spent the first half an hour of your hang out sesh blabbing about you without even stopping to ask about her life. The whole time she was totally patient and kind and listening, like the AMAZING friend she is. It’s just one of those moments you think about how great she is and how you can do better, not only in your friendship with her, but with others in general.
11. She isn’t afraid to call you out when you’re being a bitch or when you’re giving a dude way too much leeway when you should be standing up for yourself better. She knows your past experiences, your bad habits, maybe even better than you know yourself at times, and this comes in handy when you need an outside perspective on life’s big issues.
12. She’s always going to challenge your ideas and opinions in life. She isn’t afraid of talking to you about the way you two view the issues in the news and what’s happening in the world today. Even if it ends with you two agreeing to disagree your best friend knows that it’s important to discuss current events, religion, and your philosophies on life, if for no other reason than to learn more about each other and hear each other’s perspectives.
13. She’s always going to love you unconditionally, no matter what, because that’s what best friends are all about. You guys will inevitably go through ups and downs and hit both high and low periods of your friendship – that’s a part of being in any relationship. You’ll change jobs, cities, significant others and deal with the big moments we all face in life but the difference is that wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, she’s going to love you no matter what.
14. She isn’t threatened if you need to go your own way for awhile. Life is constantly evolving and we’re always in flux mentally, emotionally, and physically. Sometimes we need to be alone for awhile to sort through our own issues. Maybe we need to take off on a road trip and just be for awhile. Or maybe we feel like we really need to follow that guy across the country because we’re madly in love and can’t picture it ever not working out. Your best friend accepts and understands you might not always be right by her side. She’s okay with you going off, doing your own thing, and coming back when it’s all settled. That’s why things like Skype and Facetime and Snapchat and the millions of other social media apps exist. You might not be together but you’re always in each other’s hearts. 
