My brother and sister are admittedly the most annoying people I have ever met; my sister is extremely stubborn and my brother is very sarcastic. These clashing qualities cause us to constantly butt heads and disagree on absolutely everything. The summer before I left for college, was the worst. I was so determined to get out of the house and away from my hometown that everything my siblings (and my parents) did agitated me. Of course, this is one of the two extremes facing college students every summer, the other being the exact opposite: dreading to leave home.
I wasn’t really sad when I said goodbye to my family. The only reason I cried was because my dad, my biggest and most consistent supporter, did. I honestly doubted I would even talk to my brother and sister while I was away, considering my brother rarely used his phone and my sister just didn’t talk to me unless she wanted to fight. While I was gone, my brother’s entire physique changed. His voice got deeper, he got a mustache and he had muscles. Like he worked out every day and got actually legitimate muscles. He wasn't cute anymore...he was handsome.
My baby brother grew while I was gone, and it broke my heart. He was experiencing his freshman year of high school; sports, girls, homework…and I wasn’t there to see it. My sister started experimenting with makeup and clothes and hair. She got an entirely new group of friends and was working her way up the ranks at our high school’s NJROTC program and became an officer in her favorite club, overseeing 300-plus people. I couldn’t help but wonder…are they better off without me there? Did they really need me?
The more I thought about it the more I realized I didn’t really appreciate them enough when I was home. Rather than thinking about how annoying they were, being away made me think about all the things they taught me. My brother, was one of the most confident people I’ve ever met; a lacrosse goalie who was entirely underestimated due to his height, but he went to prove them wrong when he got on the field. He was also extremely well-rounded. Not only did he play lacrosse, he’s at the top of his class and all his teachers love him, he knows so much about computers that he taught himself how to make videos and use Photoshop entirely on his own. He has a great sense of humor, a kind heart and he does not get phased by negative things easily.
My sister, is unarguably the most beautiful human being in the world. She cares about everything and everyone, she’s way craftier and talented in the art of communications and broadcasting than I could ever even hope to be, she’s an extremely hard-worker and does not care what others say about her. She dedicates a majority of her days helping kids with cancer. She is always, always smiling. She’s outgoing and personable and sensitive and forgiving. I finally was able to admit to myself, I look up to my younger siblings. I realized never realized that they were their own people because I was so caught up in the small, irrelevant negative things.
So Hannah and Max, if Mom and Dad show you this article: I love you both more than anything in the world. Thank you for teaching me to be kind, to love myself and others and to look on the bright side of life. I look forward to the two of you being by my side for the rest of my life.
