To The Friends Who Ease The Pain Of Our Lonely Nights

To the friends who ease our lonely nights. The ones who show up when we need them. The ones who make it a point to let us know that we don’t have to suffer alone or carry our burdens by ourselves. The ones who help us when we think no one cares. The ones who understand when we can’t even say a word. The ones who can see through our broken smiles and sad laughs. The ones who make it easier to open up, be vulnerable and share our innermost feelings with them because they don’t judge us and they make us feel loved anyway.

Thank you for making our lives less terrifying. Thank you for making our darkness a little bit brighter.

To the friends who make us feel like winners when we feel like losers. The ones who give us hope that things will work out, that tomorrow is a better day, that the future still holds a lot of wonderful surprises for us. The ones who don’t let us wallow in our misery or in our pain. The ones who tell us we’re strong and smart and brilliant. The ones who see the greatness that we fail to see in ourselves.

Thank you for healing us. Thank you for making the pain go away faster. Thank you for sticking around when we weren’t the best people to be with.

To the friends who make us feel safe because they never abandoned us. They never gave up on us. They always forgave us. They always gave us second chances. They always made us feel like we can count on them even if we don’t see or talk to them every day. They always feel like home. They always keep it real. They always bring out the best in us because they see our potential and they believe in us.

Thank you for making our journey easier. Thank you for giving us the tools we need to climb the highest mountains. Thank you for empowering us to go after our dreams and for supporting us through all the ups and downs.

Thank you for being there for us when lovers break our hearts and people leave us. Thank you for guiding us when our parents stop believing in us and our bosses are giving us a hard time. Thank you for being kind to us when we’re mean to ourselves and thank you for being our sanity when our minds are driving us crazy.

We’re lucky to have you. Loneliness is terrible but with you, it’s easier to handle. It’s easier to get through it. It’s easier to come out of it knowing that we have you. Knowing that you will always be there to ease another lonely day and brighten up another dark night.

Rania Naim is a poet and author of the new book All The Words I Should Have Said, available here.