My Best Friend

One of my best friends is 29 years old. You might be wondering how I met and got so close to someone when our age difference is so significant. Well, my best friend just so happened to be there on the day I was born. In fact, she’s been there my whole life. If you haven’t already guessed, the person I’m referring to is my older sister.

Her name is Kathleen. As a kid, she was my idol. Other girls might’ve looked up to Taylor Swift or Selena Gomez, but when I was 8 years old, all I wanted to be was her. She embodied “beauty and brains.” In my eyes, she was as smart as Einstein and could be a model if she wanted to be. She also excelled in athletics, running cross country on her high school team. As a kid, running ¼ of a block was a workout so the fact that she ran miles everyday amazed me. Now, it amazes me even more since I (unfortunately) have had the privilege of participating in Uni’s fitness program and am familiar with the infamous side stitches. 

I was only 5 years old when she left for college. I have very few memories of her while she was still living at home. When I was in third grade, I signed up for a yahoo account and figured out how to send SMS/text messages from my yahoo email account to her phone. By having a way to contact her at anytime, I missed her just a little bit less every time she left.

Nowadays, keeping in touch is simple. We text, snapchat, instagram, and facetime. We talk everyday. She comes home at least once a year, and whenever I have the chance, I go visit her. This past spring, I went to visit her in Philadelphia. We ventured through the city, ate portions of french toast that any person with common sense would consider far too large, and stayed up late chatting. The time we spend together is always time well spent.

Many things have changed since I was 8. But one thing that hasn’t changed is my admiration for her. I might not be obsessed with her like I used to be, but she still exemplifies many of the traits I strive to acquire. She is hardworking, which helped her achieve her dream of becoming a physician. She has the kindest soul. She’s a good listener and always willing to talk to me if I have any problems no matter how busy she might be. She's (subjectively) funny and always manages to make me laugh with her bad jokes.

She has made a huge impact on who I am and who I want to be. She’s my sister, my partner-in-crime, and my other half. I couldn’t imagine my life without her. With all that said, we still disagree sometimes. But at the end of the day, we are always there for each other. Anybody who knows me well also knows quite a bit about her, which goes to show how big of a role she plays in my life.