hey you. it's been a rough year for both of us, and i know i haven't always been the most supportive friend, and for that i apologize. there were times i got so caught up in my own problems i forgot how much other people were hurting too, and i got angry and impatient and that was unfair. all the same, that doesn't change the fact that you're a very important person to me. as many times as we've butted heads, as often as we've bickered, as many things as we've disagreed on, one thing that hasn't changed is that i made you a promise, and i have every intention of keeping it. and a year from now, five years from now, ten years from now, as many years as we last, i hope we'll still be friends, and i hope you'll always know that i probably owe you more than i can really articulate properly.

i know i'm not the easiest person to get along with a lot of the time. thank you for persevering. i hope that 2013 is kinder to you than 2012 has been, and for what it's worth, i hope i can be a better friend to you than i have been. i hope i can be there for you when you need it, i hope i can help you when you're lost; i hope you can forgive my temper and remember that even when i'm being irrational it doesn't mean i want to push you away.

i want to be the kind of friend you can be proud to say you have, and i hope that maybe i'll manage this year.

so when you find this at the end of 2013... let me know how i did.