YOU ASSURE ME I'M A LITTLE MORE THAN USELESS

The difference between failure and success is a matter of opinion -- hers.

After a string of withering disappointments and painful realizations, I was convinced that I had failed at life in a big way. The little remaining hope that hasn't been pummeled out of me is barely sustainable. But my best friend has more faith in me than I have in myself. She doesn't think I'm a failure. And her opinion is all that matters to me.

It's humbling that anyone -- least of all the one person upon whose feelings my sun rises and sets -- can find a redeeming quality or two in a life that has been so poorly mismanaged. It's hard not to feel like a failure, but if someone who herself is the very definition of success believes I've accomplished something significant, who am I to question her wisdom?

I am so reassured that, in some small way, my life matters.

It matters to her. That's all I care about.