TCT’s The Countless Thanks 2022: Alex Smith

My purple- Purple seems like a very free spirit color to me. That’s why you’re purple. You have such a free spirit. You do what you want. You don’t care what people say about you. You focus on yourself, and it’s amazing.

You help me be more comfortable with myself. You’re an amazing role model because you show me how it feels to be completely carefree—something I can definitely work on. When I’m with you and you do some random, crazy thing, I don’t get embarrassed. I know that you don’t care what people think, so why should I? You are a prime example of staying true to yourself, and it proves to me that I can follow your lead and be true to myself.

Thank you for being by my side for as long as I can remember. Thank you for proving to me that it’s okay to be myself. Thank you for allowing me to be comfortable with myself. You have been with me forever, and I hope we stay together for a whole lot longer.

You have been such a support in my life, and I appreciate everything you have done for me and everything you have been there for. I will always remember how you are every time I am doubting myself. Thank you for proving to me that it is better to be yourself. I love you, you crazy weirdo.

My teal- You are the embodiment of the color teal. Your hobbies, your personality, even your walls are blue—maybe not teal, but definitely blue. You have brought so much teal into my life, and I appreciate it so much.

To me, teal is a very serene and calm color. Teal brings peace. You bring so much peace to me. Whenever I’m with you, I feel relaxed, and I feel like I can be me.

You are such a calm person. I’ve only seen you mad maybe twice, and I’ve only seen you cry twice. You have this amazing ability to remain calm in most situations, and when I’m with you, that transfers to me. I don’t feel stressed when I’m with you. I feel completely calm.

We’ve been in countless situations that would make any other person panic, but, when I’m with you, I remain calm, because that’s the energy you give off. The fact that you are so calm is one of the reasons I told you what I did. I knew you wouldn’t react. I knew you’d do whatever you could to help, and I knew you’d never tell anyone.

Thank you for bringing some much-needed peace into my life. Thank you for letting me talk to you about whatever I need to talk about. Thank you for being very high on the list of people I trust. Thank you for always checking up on me.

I know that I will always have a confidant in you, and I know that I can tell you anything. Thank you for sticking with me through the years, and for being here.

My yellow- Yellow is a color that is most commonly associated with happiness. That’s why you’re my yellow. Because you are the person I associate with happiness. Since being your friend, I have become happier, and that accomplishment is thanks to you.

We met during the days that hold some of my fondest memories. I will never forget the first two weeks we were friends. I will never forget our hidden pizza, our late-night trip to Denny’s, or my constant worry about the state of your foot. We became so close so fast, and I could not be happier about it. Over the past seven-ish months, I have been happier than ever before, all thanks to you.

We hang out nine out of ten days, and I have made some amazing memories with you. I love that we spend our free time in the school parking lot—God knows why, but we do. I love that if we’re not in the school parking lot, we’re usually at Meijer. I love every adventure we’ve ever been on.

I love that we have everything in common. Our taste in music, our taste in books, and our taste in clothes. I love that we both love theater, and we both love to go to football games.

But I hate that you’re leaving. Don’t get me wrong, I am so so happy for you, and beyond proud. But I’m also going to miss you like crazy. I can’t wait to see you thrive wherever you end up, though, because I know that you will make the best life for yourself. I can’t wait to visit you in college. I can’t wait for our road trip dreams to come true. I can’t wait for our future adventures.

The point of this is to thank people. So, thank you. Thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for sticking through the tough times with me. Thank you for always picking up when I call. Thank you for being my go-to person when I need to talk. Thank you for everything you have done for me, and everything you will do.

I’m looking forward to cherishing the time we have left. All of the late-night drives blasting music and our parking lot picnics. I can’t wait for the musical season so that we can make more memories at the FAC. I want to make the most of the next eight months until we have to say goodbye for a while.

I have so many things to thank you for. Too many to list. But ultimately, I just want to thank you for being here. There are so many things that have happened that could have been too much for you to handle, but you’ve stuck with me through all we’ve been through. You mean more to me than you will ever know.

I will miss you so much when you leave, but I can’t wait to see how you thrive, because I know you will. Let’s make the most of the time we have left and go on many more adventures. Thank you for everything. I love you endlessly.

My red- People associate the color red with anger. I do too, but I also love the color red. Which is why you’re red. Because despite the frustration I sometimes feel when I’m around you, you’re also one of my favorite people.

The anger part of red comes from our constant arguments. Are they really dumb and about nothing important? Yes. But they are arguments nonetheless. It comes from the times when your contact pops up on my phone out of the blue, and I know you’re going to say something that I need to quickly contradict. It comes from the times you make bad decisions simply to annoy us or you say something hypocritical. There is some anger in our relationship, but it adds a fire to my day that I really need.

The part of red that is my favorite comes from the way you really are. The real you is so kind. The real you cares so much about the people in your life, and you show it. The part of red that I love comes from the times that I need help, and you’re there. The moments when I’m not okay and you offer to do whatever you can to help.

The real parts of red—the real parts of you—are so amazing. Sometimes you don’t understand how much people need you, and sometimes you don’t understand how much you help. The way you treat the people you care about is amazing.

So, yes, red is associated with anger, and some parts of our relationship are filled with anger. But, I also know that red is a gorgeous color—one of my favorites. That’s why you’re my red.

Thank you red. Thank you for helping me, thank you for caring about me. Thank you for being here, thank you for everything you do for the people I care about. Thank you so much. You will never know how much you’ve done for me, and I will never forget all that I’ve been through with you by my side.

My blue- Honestly, I don’t know why I associate you with the color blue, because I have never been sad around you. I’m usually very giggly around you because you never fail to make light of your situations.

I wouldn’t say that we’ve ever been friends before this year. We’ve talked, we’ve hung out, but this is the first time I’d ever call you a friend. I can tell you about things going on in my life, and you tell me about things in your life. You are the only reason that the hour we have together is bearable. If you weren’t there, I would probably be failing.

So, thank you for giving me something to look forward to during my mundane day. Thank you for adding a touch of drama to my life. Thank you for letting me talk to you. Thank you for not letting me fail. I can’t wait to hear more about your life. I can’t wait for our next conversation that will help keep me sane during my most boring hour.

My gold- Lost treasure is gold. You’re my lost treasure. You’re the prize that I got for making it this far. You’re my escape from reality.

Whenever I’m with you, it’s like a breath of fresh air. I get to rant about whatever I want. I get to do whatever I want. I get to cry, laugh, and feel things.

I feel safe whenever I’m with you because I know that you feel things too. We all feel things, and we are all safe when we are with each other. I’ve only felt more comfortable expressing my feelings with two other people.

You gave me the escape from reality that I never knew I needed. You gave me the freedom to be me for as long as I’m with you. That’ll be a long time.

I am so glad that I found you, my lost treasure. Without you, I’d be significantly worse. All my emotions would be bottled up inside. But they’re not because whenever I’m with you I pour them out. So thank you for letting me find you, and thank you for accepting me.

My silver- Silver is shiny. It’s sparkly. It’s always there, and it’s visible. That’s what you are to me. You’re always there. You’re always visible. You’re bright and loud, and sometimes you never shut up. Once a week when I see you, I feel a sense of belonging.

I don’t have to say anything. You do enough talking for the both of us. I just get to listen. I can talk if I want to, and I know you will never judge. I know that if I wanted to rant for twenty minutes, you’d sit there and take it all in. Then you’d offer advice. You’d help.

If I called or texted at two in the morning, I know you’d answer because that’s who you are. Even if we only see each other once a week, even if we only talk for about thirty minutes, I know you’d do anything for me.

Cheryl, thank you for always listening to us. You let us know that you will always be here for us, and that if we ever need anything we can call you. Allie, thank you for being so kind. Since the first day I met you I have never seen you without a smile on your face. You are always the first person to give advice and help anyone out. Alayna, thank you for talking to me. You talk to me at school, and it always puts a smile on my face. You talk to me about what is going on in your life. You always make me feel happy when we talk. Ronia,thank you for making me laugh. Sometimes you don’t say much, but when you do it’s always something that makes us all giggle. Juliana, thank you for asking questions. You always have a question, and it always brings me joy. You are so inquisitive, and you have so much wisdom. Norah, thank you for talking. You always have something to say, and it always starts up the most interesting conversations. Thank you for speaking your mind, because it allows the rest of us to do the same. Kate, thank you for being you. I know that we’ve only met maybe twice, but the whole time I’ve known you I could tell that you were being completely authentic. It is so rare to come across that these days, and it has shown me that I can be myself too. Nora, thank you for bringing words of wisdom. You always have an answer to everyone’s problems, and it provides so much comfort. We know that if we ever need help that we can go to you. Ashley, thank you for bringing me here. I never would have met any of these girls without you. Thank you for deciding that this was the place you wanted to spend your Sunday nights, and thank you for bringing me along.

Thank you for giving me a space to be completely me. A space to feel safe. Thank you for giving me advice and letting me talk. Thank you for letting me listen when I don’t want to talk. Thank you for letting me know that I always have you, and thank you for proving it over and over.

My green- Green is the color of life. You gave me life. You shaped me into who I am today. You have been there with me every step of the way since day one.

I have looked to you for advice. I have looked to you for help. We’ve smiled, and we’ve laughed. You’ve gotten me through some tough times, and I will forever be grateful.

Thank you for being here for me whenever I need you. Thank you for taking interest in my life. Thank you for wanting to talk to me, and for showing that you care. Thank you for teaching me how to act and how to carry myself. Thank you for teaching me what confidence looks like. Thank you for teaching me that it’s okay to be myself.

You’ve been here for this long, and I know you’ll be here until the end. Thank you my green for everything.