5 Things Every Girl Should Let Her Partner-in-Crime Know Immediately

It’s the person you think of immediately. Your confidant, your emergency contact, your best friend. The one who always has your back and loves you not despite of, but because of your ridiculous quirks. It is with this person that you share every minute detail of your daily lives (Can you BELIEVE that Scandal episode? Ya want burritos or flatbread tonight? Can I pass this dress off as acceptable work wear? But are YOU wearing heels, too?).

Yet, often times we get so wrapped up having our closest ally around for all the mundane that we forget to really tell her how much she has truly changed our lives for the better. What would life be without her outrageous snort-laughter, her sarcastic comments and her ability to make a trip to the DMV an adventure? It’s time to make sure she knows just how important she is to you.

1. I owe my courage and fearlessness to you.

It’s much easier to quit my unfulfilling job, sign up for that half marathon or ask out the cute guy at Starbucks knowing that your arms are ready to catch me if I start to crash and burn. Knowing that I will never truly be alone in the random (and irrational) endeavors I find myself in allows me to do more than I ever imagined of myself. I no longer fear rock bottom because I know you’re there holding on to the other end of the rope to pull me out.

2. You’re one of the strongest people I know. But still, I worry about you more than myself.

I’ve always looked up to your bold and independent character. But I’ll admit I was worried when you wanted to switch your job and start a new career. I calmly tried to talk you out of it and urged you to make the safe, sensible choice (despite knowing that our friendship was founded on spontaneity). I was nervous when you went out with the guy we met after one too many tequila shots that I knew was bad news. The way he kept his cell phone glued to him and made you split the check, I wanted so much better for you. Nevertheless, it has been a lesson for me to let you make your own mistakes and know that I can’t protect you from everything, nor should I try. These experiences let you grow, and it’d be harmful for me to try and prevent that.

3. I admire your positivity…because I know the adversity you’ve faced.

It’s easy to look up and envy those who incessantly splatter their seemingly picture-perfect lives across their Facebook feed: successful job, thriving marriage, a new gold retriever puppy playing beyond the white picket fence. But knowing the challenges you have faced, the dark moments you have overcome through long nights of cold pizza and Moscato, your grace is by far the most praiseworthy. The way you turned your heartaches into moments of growth and prosperity is the strength I strive to have every day.

4. I’m sorry I’ve brought up that one memory four thousand times.

It’s not because I can’t move on or that I’m holding on to a lost cause. Talking to you reminds me I’m not alone with the thoughts that eat away at me. It reminds me that all the reasoning and arguing I do in my own head is not falling on deaf ears. It’s comforting to know that my most pathetic moments, where anyone else would find ludicrous at this point, you will forever nod your head, turn on Sara Bareillis, and piece it all together with me…one more time.

5. I compare every relationship to our friendship.

Finding a significant other has grown exponentially harder since my relationship standards have been set so high from our friendship. To have someone who knows exactly when I need to abandon society to watch Gilmore Girls reruns and is always ready for a hiking adventure despite having no sense of direction, it means all others fail to live up to my expectations. I’ve found new meaning in the term my ‘other half’ and I no longer have a sense of urgency to find a soul mate. I already have, in a form I didn’t expect.