Whether your best friend is someone you have known since you were a toddler, a kindred spirit you met at college or someone you met through a chance encounter, here are seven ways to show this person your gratitude, love and appreciation. While the official Friendship Day is on the first Sunday in August, it will mean even more if you choose to make a gesture before then.
Make a gift that immortalizes your favorite memories
Best friends typically have many shared adventures and funny stories, so it should be easy to come up with an idea that revolves around these memories. For example, you could buy a photo album and fill it with snapshots you have collected over the years (of road trips, parties, weddings and other times together). Alternatively, you could have a single favorite photo framed and have a meaningful quote printed on the border of the frame.
Take time to nurture the friendship
Even the closest bonds can begin to dwindle over time if you don’t make effort to maintain them. One of the best ways to demonstrate love to your best friend is to keep in touch and to make sure you spend time together even when you don’t need something from her. Provide support as well as seeking it, and don’t take more than you give.
Ease your friend’s burdens
Everyone goes through tough times, and you can make a huge difference to your best friend’s life if you choose to intervene when she is really struggling with something. Whether she needs help moving to a new home, longs for a babysitter so she can spend quality time with her partner or needs someone to whisk her out of town after a bad breakup, these are ideal opportunities to show how much you care.
Send a surprise card
One easy way to make your friend’s day is to mail a card to cheer her up when she is feeling low or to congratulate her on entering a new phase of life. Inside the card, mention some of the most significant reasons why you are so fond of her, and enumerate some of the ways in which your life is much better due to her presence.
Be honest
As we get older, the pressure to be well organized, happy and accomplished can make it harder to discuss your doubts and insecurities. If you vow to be honest and forthright with your best friend, this will show her that you are still willing to let her see your most vulnerable sides, emphasizing how much you trust and value her.
Involve her in events that matter
Finally, if you’re getting married, organizing a baptism or doing anything else that requires choosing someone to occupy a significant role, give that honor to your best friend. Choosing her as a maid or matron of honor at your wedding will be a public declaration of how much you care for her, and being picked as a godparent proves that you believe her to be reliable, dependable and wise.
