sisters

Sometimes I forget that I have sisters. I don't forget that my siblings are in fact female, I actually forget that they're there in their glory. (Please take note to the proper usage/spelling of those homophones. Thank you.)

My older sister, Gretchen, is...well, she's older than me. I also have a younger sister named Chelsea who is almost exactly two and a half years younger than me. When we were younger and all under the same roof, I'd say we got along ok. Chelsea and I looked up to Gretchen a lot because she was in high school, then college before we even knew what happened. Gretchen was always very loving and also rather "big-sisterly/motherly" to Chels & me, so we were really bummed to see her head off to college.

Chelsea and I, being so close in age, had a very interesting dynamic when we were younger...actually it's rather tragic now that I think of it. She really looked up to me, and I wouldn't have anything to do with her. Eventually, she fell into some friends with whom she was comfortable and we had an appropriate, Generation X/Y brother/sister relationship: we co-existed with little to no communication. Believing all things that happen in this life, both good & bad, happen for a reason, I don't regret a lot of things in my life. For a multitude of reasons, this I regret.

(picture L-R: Chelsea, me, Gretchen)

Well, time went on. Gretchen graduated college, got married, then moved on to further schooling in Nashville, TN with her husband Dan. We got to see her on holidays. Eventually, I graduated from High School. Being a little less particular in my college choosing, I visited one school, Middle Tennessee State University, applied to it, and soon found my way to Nashville.

It was when I moved 750 miles away to college that something miraculous happened...Chelsea and I began to get along. We'd still have some spats here and there, but we began to laugh together in far more significant quantities (she exposed me to homestarrunner.com, and I remember crying I was laughing so hard). I have a little sister...what a magnificent discovery. Though she and I are quite different, she is the only one who will ever be able to relate to certain aspects of my life and vice versa, and I hope I never forget that again.

More time passed. Chels put in a few semesters at community college back home, then came to her senses and joined Gretch and me in Middle Tennessee, as she finished up her undergrad at my alma mater (MTSU). The summer after I graduated, Chelsea and I moved into Gretchen & Dan's house...Gretchen was pregnant with her second child at that point. Details spared - maybe not Chels's & my best idea...

I work and live alone, and I also have a tough time really connecting with people, so I often get into the habit of forgetting the people around me...including my lovely sisters.

Last week, I took Gretchen out for her birthday...just "me & gretchy." I don't remember the last time I had her all to myself. It was glorious, and I hope it's not so long before I get to do that again with her. Whereas I've had a reasonable amount of good one-on-one time with Chelsea, I still feel I take her for granted as well. I was delighted the other day to find out that she has begun blogging. Sadly, I'll never know if this blog is any good somewhat due to bias, but mostly because I'm just excited to have a different vantage point on her life.

As this is a year of new discoveries for me, I'm very glad to have been able to move my sisters to the front of that list. Ahh, what surprises are lurking around the corners of my path today?!? Maybe I'll discover I'm adopted...