This past weekend I visited my cousins in Washington DC. Road-tripping with my twin brother for 5 ½ hours, I couldn’t wait till I was strollin’ in the streets of the DOC. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the major bonding sesh with my brother; freestyling to the instrumental version of Pound Cake, jamming to Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange, and making sure his driving was tolerable (hardly the case), I highly anticipated our cousin reunion though. Born and raised in a Persian household, I have a double-digit amount of cousins (¾ of them being girls). Embodying a major part of my childhood, my cousins are central to my life. They are not only my best friends but also the sisters that I never had.
Representing the oldest friends of mine, my cousins have essentially been there from the start. It’s strange to think that some people don’t share common bonds with their cousins. As lifelong besties, my cousins and I grew up relatively close to each other. Every Friday I would look forward to family dinners at my Grandparents house, because that meant cousin sleepovers, wearing matching pink fuzzy pajama pants, and building massive blanket forts. Weekends consisted of eating pancakes with m&m’s, choreographing dances to Rihanna’s Don’t Stop The Music, and more importantly, lots of laughing.
My cousins have always kept me laughing. Sure there were times when my cousins would create a ultimate (pun intended) nickname for me weekly, instagram me without my permission, or prolong a ditzy comment/action I made probably 10 years ago, however, I would not trade these memories for the world. My cousin would always reference this line: “When you look back at this you will laugh.” I strongly believe laughter is the best form of medicine. Even through the toughest times, the loss of loved ones, the ups and the downs, the laughter between us never wavered.
I am most appreciative of the unique connection I have with each and every one of my cousins. Friday night dinners at the “kids table” influenced our cousin bonding. Whether it was daring each other (Pellegrino mishap), creating one-hit wonders (Where’s Ma Pasta), or never actually finding out who left a pile of chicken bones on someone else's plate (?), between my brothers, cousins and I, we have all experienced it together. With their meaningful advice and eternal support, my cousins have taught me countless things: assertive does not mean aggressive, everything happens for a reason---let life take its course (shoutout to my Cali cuzzies), and always stay true to yourself.
Since going off to college, the cousin reunions have become less frequent and more cyber based. Nevertheless, the FaceTimes never stop, the Snapchat streaks continue and most importantly, the laughter never ends. Regardless of our distance or busy schedules, cousin bonds never break. We are bonded by blood, siblings at heart, and of course, friends by choice. #BloodIsThickerThanWater
