To my brother who is going off to college:

Wow. I can’t believe this is happening. You’re finally leaving. I know I like to joke around that I can’t wait until you’re finally gone, but now that we’re packing up your stuff and counting down the hours that you’re going to be in the same house as us, I realize exactly how different my life is going to be.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually going to miss you.

I know mom and dad are proud of you. They’re sad that you’re going to be doing your own thing and living your own life away from us, but they’re overjoyed to see you grow up. I know where they’re coming from, but I don’t completely agree with it. They watched you grow and mature. They saw your hardships. They witnessed your accomplishments. I lived them by your side.

We grew up together. You were my playmate for a wonderful 18 years. We watched and helped each other grow up. We taught each other lessons about why we shouldn’t throw things across the room. We learned not to mess with other people’s stuff in fear of breaking it, losing it, or making a mess. We learned to clean up after ourselves. We learned not to cry over spilled milk. We learned that sometimes, situations that seem to stink always have a silver lining.

It’s hard for me to accept that I’m not going to see my best friend every day.

That’s right. I said best friend. And it’s true. We haven’t been away from each other for a week since the day you were born. We’ve been with each other every step of the way.

It doesn’t matter if you are going to school across the country or just down the road from me: I’m going to miss seeing you all the time. I’m going to miss your jokes. I’m going to miss going out to take over a Pokemon gym in our pajamas right before we go to bed. I’m going to miss playing with children’s toys and pretending we’re 4 again. I’m going to miss breaking down and crying about my stress to you. I’m going to miss pretending to be your second mom.

Everything. Even the little things that no one would think of. I’m going to miss it.

As you take a step into your new life, I’m taking a step into mine. I’ll admit, it’s going to be eerie at first.

I wouldn’t want it any other way, though.

You got into the college of your dreams. The workload is challenging, but I know that you’re going to be fantastic because you have always had a good work ethic. You’re living on campus, moving on from your life at home in a way. You always loved to explore, and this is going to be the adventure of your life.

Make sure you call home. Smile often. Meet new people, and make a new friend whom you probably would never have liked in high school. Go outside of your comfort zone. Join a club. There is life outside of your dorm, but you have to leave in order to see it. Make a fool out of yourself. Find a buddy to binge watch Netflix. Stay up too late and regret it at your 8:00 a.m. Adventure often.