By Adreanna

Friends. Where would we be without them? My friends have become my family, and today I want to express gratitude to them and all the ways they have enriched my life.

To my friend Delight, my delicious (inside joke).

As my first “witch” friend, had you told me that we would still be going strong in our friendship based on a mutual fascination with nature, magic, music, art, and cheesecake when we first met in the art department of Hobby Lobby in 2008, I would have definitely questioned it. For two people to be so different in every other way, it was unfathomable for me to believe that all these years later we would still be sharing our love and knowledge of all things random. A clue for me should have been when you first blessed me with my very own personal cheesecake, which sparked my undying devotion to your pots and pans. That award-winning cheesecake added at least five pounds to my waist, and your open-hearted approach to life has added endless amounts of love in my heart for you. Through the years, you have remained one of the most compassionate, caring, thoughtful, funny, curious, and supportive people that I know. You have been my cheerleader, confidant, and inspiration to me. Truth be told, you represent the life I hope to lead one day. And for that friend, I thank you. My happy, loving, healing, nurturing, witch in the woods who spends her days fretting over the wildlife in her backyard. I love you.

To my friend Damaris, the courageous.

When I first met you, you scared the hell out of me! Your outspoken, outgoing, colorful, and all-around BIG personality took me by surprise. You take risks. Grab life by the actual horns. You are fearless, confident, and possibly the strongest person I know. Through the years, you’ve done more things that would make me curl up in a ball out of fear than I have ever witnessed anyone else accomplish. I used to think you were the luckiest son of a bitch walking the planet because no matter what sticky situations you found yourself in, you always managed to find your way out with nary a scrape or inconvenience, and often times in a better position than the one you started in. I’ve come to understand that you are not lucky at all. You are blessed beyond measure, and rightfully so. The way you are able to remain optimistic, positive, and solution-oriented in the face of every obstacle I’ve seen you tackle is one of the reasons I admire you so much. I’ve told you before, and I will tell you again, you inspire me to live more boldly, be more assertive, and get shit done. I thank you for welcoming me into your life as a friend and for making me a part of your family. I thank you for always being there for me for everything. From house sitting, cooking, and caring for me when I’m sick, supporting my dreams, being a shoulder to cry on, encouraging me to try new things, and inspiring me to take more risks and bet on myself. I love you.

To my friend Jeannidra, my sister.

I told you that day in the lobby of the Gateway building that you were going to be my best friend. Now look at us! You didn’t believe me then, but here we are almost ten years later. In typical sister fashion, we love, fight, we move on. We share everything from clothes, jewelry, and makeup tips, to TMI shit that we should probably never share with anyone, lol. Your wit and sense of humor are chef’s kiss. You have been by my side during some of the darkest and happiest moments. From sitting with me on my bathroom floor while I cried, supporting me through my mental health episodes, holding my hand through my divorce, yelling at me for making stupid dating decisions, encouraging me to chase my dreams, celebrating my wins, and gassing my delusions if it meant getting me to move my feet in the direction I was aiming for. To call you my friend is an understatement because we now share a Dad who remembers my name, buys me birthday presents, supports our insanity, facilitates our backyard shenanigans, and doesn’t get too mad when we get drunk and start yelling, threatening to wake up Big Mommie. I thank you for accepting me and my fickle Gemini tendencies throughout the years. Thank you for all of the advice, support, wisdom, knowledge, memes, deep nine-hour conversations, and love. I love you.

To my friend Val, the philanthropist.

The lover of people. Since the day I met you, you have been so caring, empathetic, supportive, and just COOL! Although we haven’t spent much time together over the years, whenever we get together it’s always good vibes. I admire that you are a champion for the causes that matter and aim to always lead with love, understanding, and acceptance. From doing volunteer work with you to having a night out on the town, you have always been so witty, fun, passionate, supportive, and motivating. I thank you for always being so warm, fun, adventurous, and caring. I love you.

To my partner Sarah, the nurturer.

Where have you been all my life? You are love. You bring out the best version of me with your constant outpouring of love, encouragement, support, wisdom, and pain in the ass-ery. Your commitment to your growth and the growth of our relationship has given me the strength and courage to assert myself and go after what I want. You’ve taught me that my emotions are my strength, that I am worthy and deserving of everything that I ask for, that my voice counts, that my opinions matter, that I am important, and you’ve shown me what love looks like when I feel safe to express and be myself. I thank you for triggering up all of my wounding and creating a safe space for me to heal. I thank you for showing up every day and staying committed to our dreams. Thank you for doing those squats, lol. Thank you for letting me be a spoiled princess who doesn’t have to lift a finger if I don’t want to. I know that I am rotten as hell, and it’s all your fault, and for that, I thank you!

This gratitude listing is not inclusive of all of the wonderful people that I have in my life. There are many more people who pour into me. People who I love and appreciate as much as I do the few friends that I have listed here.