My best friend is a Christian. It never really occurred to me that he could not watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone until I asked if we could watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone and he said, shh not in the house. He does not believe in magic, and won’t tell me this himself because he knows I love Harry Potter so much I would be crushed. And it is because his church does not believe in it. God, has told him, magic in all of its ways is not pure.

My best friend is sweet. It never really occurred to me that I could not kiss him outside of his house until I kissed him outside of his house and he said… my dad is against pre-marital kissing. I did not know that was a real thing. Everyone kisses, on the TV, in books and it just seemed like something that happens. And if his Dad had seen us. kissing like we were, he would have been vapid apparently and only God knows what his father would have done.

My best friend is brave. It never really occurred to me that partaking in a religion is like sky-diving until I sat through a Friday night service at my temple. Religion is filled with un-answered questions and too much text. I am not religious, I had a bat-mitzvah and maybe through the eyes of God I am forever his, but I do not feel it like my best friend does. He sits through church every Sunday and listens. I do not know how he pays attention because I text him and call him incessantly because I forget he is partaking in a religious experience, but he listens anyway. I do not really know what he takes from it, but from what I can tell he is brave for doing it.

My best friend is intelligent. It never really occurred to me how intelligent until he sat and analyzed with me. He talks to me and explains to me the things I have never heard before. I live somewhere where Jewish people are the majority and he is the minority, and he tells him his beliefs. I questioned philosophy with him and he sees no reason for it because all of his questions, they have been answered.

My best friend is lucky. His questions are answered and my list keeps getting longer.