What a great question! I love my best friend so much. We grew up together; we’ve been best friends since we were three. Although we’re same age, she has always been just a few steps ahead of me in maturity, and so I learn from her all the time.
When we were teenagers we went through a kind of cynical and judgmental phase, and she grew out of that well before I did, which helped me to see how unfair I was being in my judgements.
I also went through a phase where I wanted to be uber logical and never have feelings, and she has never been like that at all (and in fact is studying to be a therapist now), so she helped me see that feelings are valid things to have and should be respected.
She also learned how to chill out and not worry about the unimportant things in life WELL before I did (I still am not great with this, lol) so by comparing myself to her I was able to realize how some of the things I was worrying about were not really worth my energy.
She might be the most genuinely good person I know. She loves to help others and is going to dedicate her life to that. She has helped me see the value of serving others.
I love her so much. I think I would still be a far more close-minded person if I hadn’t had her in my life. We live far apart now but she’ll always be my best friend and one of the people I admire most in life.