Hey Bro -

First off, how are you, actually ? Not the “yeah, all good, just busy” that you throw out when we’re grabbing a quick beer. I mean the real, deep-down, 2 AM on a Sunday kind of how-are-you. Life has been a blur lately—for both of us, I think. I look at the calendar and can’t believe it’s already [current month]. It feels like just yesterday we were trying to fix that old lawnmower in your dad’s garage, getting more grease on our faces than on the machine. Now we’re talking about mortgages, career moves, and which back pain relief actually works.

I’ve been meaning to sit down and just dump some thoughts out to you for a while now, and since we’re both terrible at picking up the phone unless it’s for a quick raid or to complain about our fantasy football teams, this long-winded message will have to do. So, settle in. Grab a drink. This is going to be one of those texts you read while pretending to listen to someone else talk. hey bro

If you’re struggling with something right now, you know the number. If you’re not, then just know that I’ve got your back anyway. For the big stuff and the stupid stuff. For the life-changing decisions and the debate over whether a hot dog is a sandwich (it’s not, and I will die on that hill). First off, how are you, actually

Talk soon, man.

Hey bro.

And hey, I know I’ve been a bit of a ghost lately. Work has been eating me alive, and I’ve gotten into this stupid habit of thinking, “I’ll reply when I have something interesting to say.” But that’s not how this works. You don’t need me to be interesting. You just need me to show up. So, consider this me showing up. Life has been a blur lately—for both of us, I think

I was driving the other day and that old song came on—you know the one, from that summer we thought we were invincible. Windows down, terrible decisions, gas money pooled from loose change in the couch cushions. For a solid three minutes, I was right back there. I laughed out loud thinking about the time you tried to impress that girl by saying you could speak fluent Spanish after two weeks of Duolingo. “Dos cervezas, por favor… and one for my friend, the amigo.” Bro. The confidence was unmatched, even if the accent sounded like a bad movie villain. We don’t have moments like that anymore, or maybe we do, but they’re just quieter now. Now it’s the satisfaction of helping you move a couch without scratching the wall, or the unspoken nod when one of us is going through it.