"Oh! I had your sister when she went here. She was fantastic! I bet you are just like her!"
"Then you are in for a surprise!"
Wherever I went, whether it be middle school, high school, college, or even the gym, I am always being asked about or being compared to my successful older sister.
But they do not know the half of it.
She stole your favorite top when you were not home to make her change out of it. You stole her team sweatshirt in revenge but accidentally spilled barbecue sauce all over it. You claimed that it "got lost in the laundry" when questioned. It is surprising how many times that excuse can work. When she comes home to visit your phone charger "magically" disappears.
Many of us have siblings, but now that we are in college, our relationships with them are changing. With time, we gain a new perspective. Sure, it was hard being compared to someone who was perceived by the world as a talented ball of awesome. But what I realize now is that my sister herself was never the one comparing me to her. She never expected me to be anything but annoying. (Although, she did spend a few years trying to convince me that I was adopted, and I was just staying with her until my real family found me.) She was the one who knew my strengths. She knew that there were things that I was amazing at that she wasn't. In addition, with great siblings, comes great responsibility (on their end). Failing French class? Big sister to the rescue! Struggling with boys? Relationship advice? Super Sister to the rescue!
Back then, I resented the fact that I was always being pushed into my sister's shadow. But once I started to live my own life, I was able to grow into my own shadow. When you are younger, you do not realize that you are still a work in progress. Even now, you are growing.
Now, even though my sister lives in Boston, and I am living at home while finishing up my college degree, the miles between us do not come between the bond we now have. During breaks, we plan "Sisters Weekends." She buys me a bus ticket, and I hop on a Peter Pan bus to Boston. We bake yummy baked goods, hang out with her roommates, go get sushi at "our place," and hang out with her friends. I call her when the good, the bad, and the ugly happens, and she calls me to say hello. When she achieves something, rather than feel jealous, I celebrate her accomplishment. When I hit a new milestone in my life, rather than think that I am finally catching up to my sister, I tell myself "way to go!" If you live your life trying to catch up to someone, then you miss out on the awesome sauce that is uniquely YOU!
We still live life sisterly. But I still manage to steal her clothes.
