Happy 21st birthday Dan

Happy 21st birthday, to my dearest friend Dan.

I called him this afternoon. We haven't spoken on the phone for three years,
we've kept in touch through email and the internet.
So I called, and our friend Huttley picked up ~ and he recognised my voice straightaway!
How nice it is when that happens!
So, he put Dan on the phone, and all of a sudden we were talking again,
just like how we used to,
about everything and nothing at all.
And we laughed at how our voices had changed but were still the same.
And it was good. It was like coming home in some ways.

I can't tell you how many hours me and Dan have spent on the phone.

I met Dan when we were 14.
Not many people can say they meet their soul brother at the age of 14,
and knew from that point on, they would love them for the rest of their lives.
I'm lucky in that respect. I did, and I do.
Dan was my best friend for years. And he was best friends with my sister too.
And it was just beautiful.
It still is. Things have changed, yes. But inherently, they are still the same.

How do I explain Dan to you?
He is sweet, but not in that "oh he's a nice, sweet guy" kinda way.
This is a guy who is inherently and beautifully and tenderly and vulnerably sweet.
He laughs at all my bad jokes, and actually makes me think I'm funny.
We know each other incredibly well. I'm not sure why, but from the very start,
we have delighted in the process of getting to know each other.
The thing about the friendship is, even when we come from entirely different groundings and points of views, we talk it out until we understand each other.
Dan intrigues me and uplifts me.
Dan is the best damn guy friend a girl can have.
He is smart smart smart smart smart. Like, "holy shit, how do you do that!" smart.
We used to hold hands. Just because we wanted to. That sort of close~ness.
We would talk all day at school, then talk on the phone until our parents kick us off,
and then we would write long letters to each other.
When I left to go to Malaysia, I spent the night beforehand on the phone to him.
We could never say goodbye on the phone. And he said to me ~
"Have a great time. Please don't die. Come back."
Dan was such a part of my teenage years, he was a part of my landscape ~ my family.
He is an inherent part of my heart landscape, and will always be.
He is humble and wise and an endearingly beautiful soul.

What I wish for you, my dear Dan:
to see yourself as others see you. how i see you.
to be inspired every day by the beauty of this world.
to be loved. loved by yourself. and the love of others.

Happy 21st danal.
I am your forever friend.

Love,
Leonie