Every day before I go to sleep, it has been common practice for me to say “good night.” Not just to anyone, but to someone who has known me since day one of my life and has shaped who I am: my older sister, Anna. Growing up I didn’t have many relatives my age who lived nearby, so Anna became the person I could relate to. She used the one-year head start that she had over me as a reason to pass down all of her knowledge – whether I liked it or not – from learning to speak, to writing, to her education in school, and even life lessons she learned. It was because of this guidance and concern that my parents put it in my head to always stay close to my sister.
When I was young my sister and I would come home from school and immediately turn on the TV. As is the case for many young children, cartoons were life, and we thrived off of the adventures and creative imagination contained within the screen. However, my sister – being older and bigger than me at the time – would push me out of the way in order to watch cartoons closely. At the time I was brimming with anger about having to watch from afar, even though now I’m thankful for the results. As time progressed this continuously happened and instead of fighting, I simply adjusted to watching TV from afar. This eventually led to my sister’s poor eyesight, whereas my vision turned out perfectly fine. Without meaning to, my sister’s actions still held my best interest and looking back now, it impresses upon me the importance of moderation of everything in life.
During my middle school years I came to the realization I could not stay by my sister’s side. Though I originally hung around my sister and her friends, I knew I didn’t belong, being the only male in a group of girls. I began to realize that I had to make my own friends, so I hopped on the bandwagon of independence and, armed with some Foosball skills, made some new friends. It was on one day when I was relishing this independence that some older kid decided it was a ripe occasion to push me around in the bathroom. He tried putting my head in a toilet, and I resisted his strength and got out the bathroom as fast as I could. I was completely traumatized from my first experience of being a victim of bullying. When news reached my sister of what happened, she gave the kid a piece of her mind and the kid never bothered me again. Being a strong, independent – and prideful – man, I had originally not wanted her help solving my problem, but her refusal to back down showed me that my sister was truly always going to be there.
Anna has been there for me ever since, sometimes in smaller ways, but always making her presence and support known. Taking my first steps in high school, I consciously chose to go to different school and move away from being “Anna’s little brother” and toward being an individual. I have maintained my own independence and built a reputation for myself, discovered my own voice, and solved my own problems – though thankfully, swirlies hasn’t been on the list. But as I move on, I will never forget who has been there for me every step of the way, and every night before I sleep, I remember my Anna and what she’s done for me.
