There's an age of maturity that allows you look back and realize all of the amazing people you have in your life. One of those who stands out for me would have to be my older sister. Although we spent our middle school and high school years fighting, both verbally and physically, we've come to the age where we have realized that we are the only ones who will be by each other's side, no matter what. Looking back, there have been countless blessings of having an older sister in my life, but these are just a few of the many:
She gave me a second closet
She honestly never knew this, but her closet was my closet. After she left for school, I would run up stairs and raid her closet. It was like a free store! Now she willingly lets me borrow her clothes, which is a blessing, since she has better fashion sense than I do.
She always did the chores
Growing up, whenever there was a chore to do, she always seemed to be the one who was asked to do it. She always complained, but in the end, she did it. I was the child who could hide in the corner and never get asked, but my sister's name was always the one being called on, to go take out the trash, or pick up the dog poop.
She sets the standards high
Older siblings always set a standard. For some it's low, and for some, it's high. In my case, my sister is literally your poster child for the perfect student, and she always has been. My mom jokes about how she might as well just live at the library. I use to hate trying to live up to my sister's expectations, but then I realized that in trying to do so, I was the best form of me that I could be. I pushed myself harder and harder, because I wanted to be like her.
She swatted away the bees
Older brothers are known for being protective, but older sisters are the same way. When I was 4, and my sister was 6, we accidentally locked ourselves in this car that we were playing in. Long story short, these bees began swarming us and I started screaming, so my sister started swatting. When we got out of the car she had four bee stings, and I didn't have one. Throughout my life she's always been there to “swat the bees" away, even when the outcome isn't in her favor.
She's a shoulder to cry on
This is something that I've come to realize a lot more in college. I find that the minute something horrible happens to me, she's the first one I call. It's like you worry that your friends will judge you if you tell them, and you worry that your mom will freak out, so your sister is the perfect person in between.
She's always tells me the truth
Whether it's that my friends are annoying and rude, or that the new color of my hair is hideous, my sister is the one person who will tell it to me straight up. She doesn't care that it will offend you, in fact sometimes she wants to, but ultimately, she's the only one who will never lie to you about the way you look, the people you're with, or the choices you've made. And a lot of times that's the sort of thing we need to hear.
She'd never let me leave the house in that ugly top
Sadly, I made some bad choices in the fashion world while I was growing up. But no matter what, my sister never let me leave the house if my outfit was unacceptable. Sometimes I'd flip out when she told me that what I was wearing didn't match, but she saved me from the embarrassment of going to school like that.
She makes the mistakes before I do
Often times, I feel like my sister just lives my life before I do. She goes through the same issues and she makes the same mistakes. The beauty of this is that I always know that I will have someone to turn to that will know what to do.
She told me, when I was going down the wrong path with the wrong people
We've all had those friends who were just bad people. Having an older sister means that she is smart enough to realize when your friends are no good. She has saved me from so many bad situations, and she always tells me when I need to straighten up my act.
She made me tough
We fought quite a bit growing up, but ultimately it made me who I am today. I'm a girl who isn't afraid to stand up for herself, and who can fight for what she believes in.
She constantly reminds me of how great I am
In high school and college especially, we can often lose sight of where we are going in life. We can feel down about certain things, and I think we've all had the urge to drop out of college for a brief moment. But an older sister will sit there with you, and remind you of all the great things you are headed towards.
She went through the awkward stage so I didn't have to
Ok, so yeah I still had an awkward stage, but her's was way longer. As a girl, there are very simple ways to skip the awkward stage, and it's with straighteners and makeup. Unfortunately these things can often worsen the awkward stage, or it can take a long time for someone to discover these magic makers. But since she knew about them as my awkwardness started, she taught me how to use them properly.
So thank you to my older sister, Mackenzie, for being my rock and my best friend. You are one of the biggest reasons why I am the person I am today. I can't wait to grow old and have conversations at midnight about how our husbands are bugging us. I hope that we never grow too far apart, because I will always need my older sister.
