If you're reading this article on July 10th you're reading this on my birthday! You're also reading it on my brother's birthday!
Being a twin is like being in the "People" magazine article who wore it better and the celebrity look alikes article all at the same time. People are constantly comparing the two of you, trying their hardest to either prove you look just alike or that you don't even look related. The best part is when someone doesn't know the two of you are twins and they act like you've turned their world upside down with you tell them.
When I was younger I really didn't like being a twin. To be fair that was mostly because I didn't want to share my birthday party and I felt like my brother always tried to copy my homework. I always wished that we were one grade apart so that we could have our own identities and lives. I felt like I was missing out on a sense of independence from my family that other people my age got. When I went to school every morning, my twin brother went with me. When I went to lacrosse practice my twin brother was at practice on the field next to me.
When I was that age I couldn't appreciate what being a twin meant. I have a partner who has literally been with me my entire life, every single second of my life he's been living the same number of seconds and even though we are sharing the same timeline we are living our lives out completely differently. It's funny when we got older people started to ask us if we were "close." I always answered yes because we grew up in the rooms next door, rode to school together everyday, played the same sport, had the same friends. Now when I'm asked that question I answer the same way but I mean something totally different.
My twin is my best friend, that "twin thing" people talk about is real. No one has ever made me laugh louder than my brother and absolutely no one has ever made me madder than my brother has. It's not just that my brother can tell when I'm sad it's that he cares about it and will do whatever he can to make me feel better. It's been hard this year, our first year apart from each other. I was finally given the independence that I wanted and I find myself missing the morning rides (that often ended in screaming matches) to school together. But I love the moments when I see something that makes me immediately think of him, I love watching his lacrosse games online and cheering him on (Go Hokies) and now I look forward to our summers driving around together.
Being a twin is about fate deciding who your best friend should be and you choosing to accept that fate. Reynolds you rock, thanks for being my twin. And Happy Birthday to us.
