We've recently passed the most famous day for love in the American calendar. Or it might be the most infamous day, depending on who you ask. You may have felt warmly blanketed in the comfort and care of a romantic partner. You may have felt bullied and buffeted by rom coms and chocolates and red roses.
For my part, I wish we celebrated love more often. But not just romance between spouses or partners. I wish we celebrated the more often unsung love of friendship. In recent years with several moves across the country and across the world, I've come to cherish the way friendship molds and shapes and breaks and braids us together, no matter how long or short our time may seem.
To the earliest friends who've grown and changed with me, to the friends at the messiest and most formative years, to the friends who've questioned and challenged and deconstructed alongside me, to the karaoke friends who felt more like a family, who taught me that fun and friendship are worth more than any trophy, to the friends who felt more like a second self and a place to call home. To everyone who sits, jumbled up inside me with memories and heartbreak and gratitude, I love you.
