Dear Diary #12
An Open Letter to All My Friends and Future Friends
Dear Diary is a monthly newsletter sharing my journey of navigating relationships and finding myself. I've got more questions than answers, but I believe in the magic of connecting through words. That’s why I keep writing. Secretly, I think that friendship and joy are a safe exit from the patriarchal trap. If this email strikes a chord, feel free to reply. It inspires me to keep spilling the tea away.
Grab a coffee, relax for 3 minutes, and enjoy the read. 💌
I love that Valentine’s Day in Finland is all about friendship. It feels kinda feminist, doesn’t it? The world has changed, sure, but women are still the ones most encouraged to think about marriage and family before themselves. We’re the ones expected to hold things together—raising kids, supporting the elderly, doing all the invisible, unpaid work that keeps life running. Of course, not every woman, not every situation—but statistically speaking, it’s still us.
That’s why I love the Finnish version of Valentine’s Day. Friendship takes the pressure off finding “the one” and instead reminds us of the people who will actually be there as life unfolds. Because, again—statistically speaking—it’s older women who end up taking care of other older women. We outlive men. The so-called “fragile sex” actually holds everything together in the end.
I feel so grateful for my friends—women and men alike (though, unsurprisingly, I have more female friends). Because at the end of the day, this isn’t about romance. It’s about having people who listen, who make you laugh, who bring you soup when you’re sick.
I hope today, everyone has someone they can message just to say thank you for being my friend.
An Open Letter to All My Friends and Future Friends
I’m so glad we met. Truly. Even if we’re not always physically close or perfectly in sync, we have something far more important—this mysterious, magnetic energy that pulls us together, where conversations flow effortlessly, and I feel seen and loved.
Every time we talk and laugh, I feel full—not just happy, but truly alive. My heart doesn’t just beat; it jumps.
I love how, with you, I don’t have to earn my place. You believe I deserve to exist and be loved just because. No pressure to perform, no expectations to achieve. I can be my weird, unfiltered self, and that’s exactly how I feel about you. I want you to chase your dreams, and if you ever get stuck in a loop—repeating old mistakes—I’ll be here to remind you of your strength. I’ll be honest if I get hurt along the way, and I trust you to do the same.
And if one day we change so much that we no longer align, that’s okay too. Friendship isn’t a sentence—it’s freedom. I want you to fly high, with or without me.
But I have no doubt that at some point—in this life or another—our paths will cross again. And when they do, I’ll squeeze you tight and tell you all the things that keep me wanting to bite life off in big, hungry gulps. And I’ll want to hear every single thing about you, too.
I will always love you, my dear friend.
Feel free to share this open letter with all of your friends and future friends!
Speaking of sharing, we’ll be spreading love—literally! Join us at Esplanadi (Helsinki) on Saturday, 15/02, at 13:00 as we share Love Letters with the city. 💌 Learn more.
💌 Drop a letter emoji without saying anything in any of our channels to let me know you read this — it will mean the world to me! Thanks in advance! 🐚
