From sitting on me and threatening to fart because I wouldn't give him the TV remote to talking to me before bed about how my day and his day went, my big brother was easily my best friend, my favorite person and hands-down one of the most important people in my life. Unfortunately, I lost my brother at a young age. I was 11 years old and he was 18 when he lost his battle with depression. However, the short 11 years that I had him by my side were some of the greatest years of my life. He made me who I am today. He taught me a lot of things over time, and here's a few of them.
Doing Things for Yourself
Growing up, my brother was always good at helping me with homework or talking things through, but when it came to having to physically do something, simple things like getting me a water when he was getting water or reaching the top shelf for something, he refused to do any of it. He wanted me to do it for myself. He would say things like, "God gave you legs. Use them to get your own water," or "You know where the stool is. Get it yourself." He believed that the world wasn't just going to hand things to you. He taught me that if you want something bad enough, no matter how big or small, you'll work for it.
Video Games
I never thought I would still love video games the way I did as a kid, but I have my brother to thank for that. Of course he didn't want to play dress up with me or play with my Barbie's, but I didn't mind playing against him on some fighting game on his PlayStation 2 or on Mario Kart on his GameCube. As I got older and better at video games, the more fun, competitive and addicting it became. I am now 19 years old and currently addicted to the "Call of Duty" series, "Heavy Rain", "Fallout" series, and a few others. Thanks, big bro.
Keeping Up with the Guys
Having a brother that is 6 1/2 years older than you has it's perks, and learning to keep up with the guys was one of them. I hung out with my brother and his guy friends a lot. He didn't mind (I'm sure he did but just didn't say anything), but in order to keep up with all of them, I had to know how to talk, how to act and how to play whatever game they were playing. What better way to learn to hang with the guys than from a guy himself? To this day, I think I keep up with guys well when hanging out with them all because of my brother. Thanks again, bro. I got my tomboy side from you.
Cooking and Baking
Thanks to my brother, I like my eggs scrambled a certain way (he spoiled me), my banana bread baked by only him (no one could make it like him) and prefer extra cheese on anything with cheese on it already. When I finally got to the age I was allowed to use the oven and the stove, he taught me everything I needed to know to not burn down the house while making my favorite dishes. I didn't know I was going to love cooking and baking as much as I do, but I'm really glad I do. I love that I love the kitchen and making food and desserts that make people smile, just like he once did.
Toughen Up
I was a sensitive kid growing up. I won't lie. Everything made me cry, and I mean everything. It was horrible. I ended up growing out of it (thank God), but I don't think I could have done it without my brother. My brother would constantly tease me, which of course, ended with me in tears every time, but as time went on he would do his best to teach me how to toughen up. When he would tease me, he would tell me to tease him back instead of crying. I wasn't very good at it at first, but I got the hang of it eventually. It got to the point where the crying stopped and the teasing back and forth drove our parents crazy, but hey, we're siblings. It was our job to tease each other like nobody's business and to drive our parents nuts.
It's been 8 years since I lost my brother, and life isn't any easier without him, but not a day goes by where I don't think about him or thank him for all that he did for me and taught me in the short amount of time I had him. Having an older brother was one the best blessings I could ever ask for. I was given a body guard, a best friend, a comedian and an amazing, talented older brother all in one person, and although I wish I had longer with him, I will always cherish those 11 years I had with him.
