Blog #165: Dear Ally

Dear Ally,

Hello! I was just walking down the street today, enjoying your favorite hobby, and you sent me a picture of you with Joe Biden. This picture made me think two things; 1) I'm very jealous of you, and I don't blame you for rubbing it in, but still... ugh. 2) You are such a badass.

Long before we were even friends, I knew of you, and even then, I thought "Ally is such a badass."

I wasn't wrong!

You are a badass in the coolest ways possible— you are strikingly honest, a trait I admire in you and wish I too possessed. You are the hardest worker I know, literally. You also never stop thinking, analyzing, or contemplating, and you're never afraid to ask questions throughout that process. You call people out when they deserve to be called out, because you refuse to be disrespected or taken advantage of. That's badass. You also are always down to try something new, or push yourself out of your comfort zone. In fact, your life motto (or at least one of them?) is literally "seek discomfort." That's freaking badass dude.

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After being the only person in the United States to check about Bangalore's time zone to make sure you told me happy birthday exactly at midnight on May 1, you wrote me an epic blog post. In fact, I just reread it now and remembered quite clearly why I was crying but uncontrollably laughing at the same time. It was touching, but it was also freaking hilarious.

Then I remembered how May 31st— your birthday— came around, and I... slept. I know I have the excuse of returning to the States the day before and jet lag and all of that, but I promised myself I would write you a birthday blog equally as epic, and I failed. Then I told myself I would do it soon after, and I failed at that too. Quite honestly I have felt bad about it every day since.

Now, it's July 16, and I don't think I can call it a birthday blog anymore. So this is just a regular ol' blog, but it's still dedicated to you, my dude. Deada$$.

Despite our many conversations over the topic, I still can't remember exactly how we became friends. It's like a switch just flipped, which would make me think that there was some definitive event that catapulted our friendship into being, but if there was, I sure can't remember it. Still, I'm not upset about it. At some point we became friends, and that's all that matters!

Even though we can't remember how the friendship started, I personally foresee it lasting a very long time. The fact that you're not on social media has actually made me even more sure of this, because you are one of few people in my life who make a very intentional effort to reach out and have real conversations, instead of relying on social media, no matter how far apart we are. We haven't seen each other in over six months, which sucks. But we both also know how the other is doing, we're up to date on each other's day to day struggles and victories, etc. This means so much.

I also just very much admire you as a person. Along with being badass, you are introspective, smart as hell, adventurous, funny enough to make me cry from laughing so hard, and made almost entirely from kombucha. What more could I want in a friend?

You challenge me to be better, and reassure me when I come face to face with self doubt. You are one of my fiercest supporters, and you also bought me candy cigarettes once to blend in with the cool kids, which was pretty awesome.

Now, somehow, we're about to begin our senior year at Morningside. We're going to live together, which is exciting! But then soon, we're going to graduate. I don't know what I'll do or where I'll go. Neither do you. You're nervous and scared and caught up in thoughts about the future. As best I can, I want to tell you to calm down.

Like I said earlier, you're one of the hardest workers I know. If you're worried about finding a job, don't. You would be amazing in any career and people see that. If you're scared you're going to go down a path you don't like, well, remember you can always change it. You're not just smart, you're hardworking and introspective and driven, so I know you will find a different path you love and follow it hard. If you're scared about the unknown, seek discomfort my dude! You are going to be amazing wherever you go and whatever you do, so just remember to do something that makes you happy and leaves you feeling fulfilled.

Anyway, enough life advice or whatever. (Plus I don't know if I would take life advice from me I'm just a college kid who also has no idea what she's doing with her life.) I'm so excited to finally be back in Siouxland so we can finally get coffee and you can try to teach me how to skateboard and we can go to concerts and drink enough kombucha to make us drunk.

See you soon!

With love,

Kailyn

P.S. We are the WORST about getting pictures together, and sorry but I'm changing that.