We all know someone who handles everyone’s concerns. That friend is the friend who stays strong for others. Everyone places their trust in that friend. Trust leads into personal disclosure. We open our boundaries to share our weak points. Strong friends try to be an outlet for troubles, or a vibe booster when the mood is a little down, or a good listener. These people prioritize others, especially friends and family, before themselves. Being strong is nice, and we’d all be lost without those friends of ours—but what about their feelings? 

It’s time for us to honor our strong friends. And if you’re not sure who that is among your friends, maybe it’s time to consider that that might be you.

First: thank you for your strength. Thank you for helping others get our frustrations and nerves out. Thank you for looking out for us. Thank you for being a wonderful example. You are always going outside your comfort zone to help someone else. You catch the smallest of details. You have a knack for reading vibes. We can’t tell what makes you keep going. Your reasoning is unknown. The only thing we do know is that you’re awesome!

Actually, being strong for so long has to be exhausting. Occasionally, I’ll bet, you’d rather not be the strong one. Don’t dismiss the thought; those times exist. You’re human, and we all get tired. We assume that being strong is part of who you are.  We are amazed at your strength, but sometimes we’re a little concerned about you. Give yourself some space. Give yourself some time to rest. We understand when you need to take care of yourself, or at least we try to. Other times, we accidentally cause you more stress. For this, we are sorry.

Please find someone you can talk to, someone who will be strong for you. We feel awful thinking about the way you must keep everything bottled up. Your thoughts and concerns will not get any lighter if you disguise them. Please know it’s fine to not be strong. We apologize if we ever make you feel burdened by our dependency on your strength. We secretly are working to repay you. We want to build a healthy two-way street in our relationship.

Finally, know that we are grateful. If you ever wanted to know how we feel about you, that would be it. Thank you again for being bomb. We do cherish being able to know you and have the connection we do. Above everything, the moral here is this: we notice. Despite your aversion to seeking recognition, it would be wrong of us not to express our gratitude.

So to all the strong friends out there, from the rest of us: thank you.