Honestly writing birthday letters always makes me freeze up. Like how do you cram years of friendship into one piece of paper without sounding super cheesy or totally boring? Last week my buddy’s birthday popped up on my phone calendar and I went “Oh crap”. Grabbed pen and paper… and stared at blank paper for ten whole minutes.
The Total Dump Phase
Started dumping every memory I could think of like a dump truck rolling downhill:
- That time we got soaked in the rainstorm chasing his runaway dog
- His awful karaoke version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” last summer
- How he always steals fries off my plate even when he ordered his own
My desk looked like a recycling bin exploded – sticky notes everywhere, coffee rings on half the paper. Total chaos. Even my cat walked over my “draft” with muddy paws. Thanks, cat.
The Lightbulb Moment
Suddenly realized something while scrubbing paw prints off the paper: trying to write “perfect” was killing me. Screw perfect. This is Dave! The guy wore mismatched socks to his own cousin’s wedding. So I ripped up that stiff “Dear best friend” crap and wrote like I was texting him drunk at 2am:
“Yo idiot! Remember when you tried fixing my bike chain with a toothpick? Broke three toothpicks AND my chain. Still annoyed about that… but hey you bought me beers after.”
Felt so much lighter after changing the tone. Added a stupid promise: “Next beers on me IF you finally learn Bohemian Rhapsody’s lyrics properly.”
Finishing Touches
Dug up an old polaroid of us covered in mud when we tried hiking during monsoon season. Taped it smack in the middle. Underneath it wrote: “Still wondering why we thought this was fun. Just like I wonder why we’re still friends.”
Slipped the letter into a messy envelope. No ribbon, no wax seal. Just spilled some coffee on the corner (accidentally… mostly). Threw last year’s store-bought card away. This messy stack of scribbles? Totally Dave.
Mailed it feeling like I just paid off a debt. Not because it was perfect. Because it was real. Got a voice note this morning: “Dude this card sucks! …where’s my gift?” Then he laughed. That laugh sealed it.
