My older sister is one of the most important people in my entire life. She's seen me at my absolute worst, at my terrible twos and my angsty teenage years, and still loves me. I could give a million reasons as to why she's my best friend, but here's ten of my favorite.
1. She went through all the messy parts of life before I did, and is here to help me with them. Let's be honest, every single person has at one point in their life wished they could see into the future. Well, with an older sister, you sort of can. My sister is the first person that I contact when something less than stellar is going on in my life. Whether it's a crazy intense assignment, or indecision about my future goals, I go to her. The good thing is, she has always already been in the exact same position I'm in today. She's experienced the same worries and stress, and came out all the better for it. Talking to her about hard spots in my life makes everything seem not so bad, because she already successfully navigated these issues for herself.
2. She gives me something to strive for, and is an excellent role model. For as long as I can remember, I've known that my big sister was something special. She was always on the top of her game academically, and always seemed like she had it all figured out. Even though I know she fights her own personal battles, she knows what she wants and is not afraid to get it. This is something that I admire so much about her. I've been able to model my own path to success after her in a lot of ways. Seeing the way that she lives life with purpose and drive only further inspires me to thrive and succeed in the world.
3. She is always there for outfit advice, or the occasional outfit rejection. If there's one thing you can rely on, it's the honesty of your big sister. Throughout my life, I have gone through a number of fashion phases as I struggled to find my own personal style. My big sis has been there for every single one of them, and she doesn't let me forget that. I could always trust her to tell me when the outfit that I picked out for school made me look like I got dressed in the dark. She even let me go "shopping" in her closet once or twice, when I absolutely had to borrow that cute dress for a party. Thanks again for that, sis.
4. She helps me put things in perspective. This is a really important one. Sometimes, getting a bad grade on a test feels like it is literally going to ruin your future, or being dumped by someone makes you feel like you will never find true love. Frankly, this just isn't true. Having a big sister makes it so easy to put those everyday crises into perspective. She serves as a sounding board for all your worries, big or small, and is extremely good at letting you know it's all going to be okay. Who better to do this than someone who has survived heartbreaks and failure and is still going strong?
5. She introduced me to stuff that I love. My sister has been introducing me to cool stuff since day one. Without her, I would not have a clue about 90 percent of the music that I love today. I would not know about amazing TV shows like "The Office" or "Small Town Security," and she actually introduced me to Wofford, too. She was never weird about it, either. Your big sister shows you all this cool stuff she loves, and never acts annoyed when you love it, too. I seriously have my sister to thank for like almost everything cool in my life.
6. She is great at giving love advice. When the first boy that I had ever been seriously involved with broke up with me, I felt like I was helpless. I knew for sure that I would wind up old and alone, with eight cats and a knitting problem. My sister was quick to quell these worries with some excellent relationship advice. I still call her every time I become interested in a boy, even if I just see one at a party that I think is super cute. I know she won't think my worries are stupid, and she will always listen to every minute detail of my interactions with that cute boy from my French class.
7. She makes me more interesting to my peers. I have a uniquely keen insight into this particular reason, because my big sister actually graduated last year from the college I am now attending. We are in the same sorority, and I plan on majoring in something that is very similar to what she studied. Due to this, almost all of my peers know about her. She spent her time at Wofford doing some incredible things, and this makes me cooler by association. Whenever someone asks me what my older sister is up to, that's a guaranteed conversation starter. In general, her existence makes me seem cooler.
8. She has seen me at my absolute grossest, and passes no judgement. My sister and I can sometimes be downright weird when we are together. Once we decided to watch Netflix for 24 hours straight, and made our mom bring food to the couch where we were sprawled out. Over breaks and during holidays, I sometimes find myself asking her if it's gross that I haven't showered yet. My big sister knows about all my weird habits and quirks, and does not judge me for any of it. She knows me inside and out, and still somehow likes to be around me. Similarly, she knows some pretty deep, dark secrets about me, and I know she doesn't judge me for those, either.
9. We share some precious childhood memories. As kids, we were seriously so strange. We used to dress up with our old dance costumes, but I would never wear a shirt. We would pretend to "cook" in the kitchen, using hand soap and tupperware dishes. She would watch and laugh hysterically as I gave my Barbie dolls horrendous haircuts. I used to terrorize her by laying on her favorite stuffed animals, and taunting her with the wicked witch from "Snow White." Every single memory we have is so special, and I could not imagine my childhood without her.
10. We have our own language. No, seriously. My sister and I are so close, that we practically share the same brain. We have been known to exhibit "twin talk" on occasion, spewing out sentence fragments of inside jokes and laughing hysterically. We constantly share secrets, and communicate them with our eyes. We could be surrounded by people, and still have the most intense conversation ever without anyone else having a clue.
Thank you to my older sister, Savannah Paige, for being everything I could ask for in a best friend and more. You are probably the biggest reason why I am succeeding today, and I am so thankful for all that you do. I love you so much. Even though I told you that one morning on the cruise that your hair looked like a wig.
