Twins. It's one of the common occurrences that people see all the time but hardly get to experience firsthand. Many of us have siblings, but few people actually share the womb with their brother or sister. After having lived the twin life, I'll tell you firsthand what it's like.
Being a twin is a one-of-a-kind experience, well, except for everyone else's reaction to this natal phenomenon. As we've gotten older, my sister and I have endured a barrage of questions from countless surprised faces. It seems like people ask the same questions in the exact same order almost every time: "Y'all are twins?" "Which one is older?" and my personal favorite, "She is older, isn't she?" Because my twin sister was taller than me for many years. Back in my awkward days of chubbiness and being obnoxious, my sister was always mistaken as the older child. So our antagonists were shocked twice when they found out we were twins and that I was older by five minutes.
When you're a twin, apparently everyone thinks you like to share with your sibling. My sister and I would get one card from family and friends for holidays and would be told to share its contents. Whether it was Christmas or our birthday, my twin and I had to share a $5 bill on more than one occasion.
The awesome part about having a twin is that in grade school we would be put in the same classes for time-to-time. It was an advantage when it came to homework and test time. However, if you skip class on senior skip day, make sure both of you skip classes!
People loved to think that my twin and I can read each other's minds. I will admit that we were on the same page when it came to miscellaneous jokes but only because we spent so much time together. Every once in a while, we would say the same thing verbatim at the same time. It seemed random to us, but to others, it seemed as if we were telepathically linked.
All-in-all, being a twin is definitely a unique experience. I am lucky to have experienced a childhood with a sibling the same age as me. Even as I write this article, so many memories are rushing back that laid dormant for many years. I got to see my sister as drum major while I played football (OK, more like watched from the sidelines). I also got to see her dominate in hurdles during track season after I competed in field events.
My favorite memory, though, was sitting next to each other during our high school graduation. We cracked jokes and ate Starburst while we spent our last day of school together. If there was anything I learned from my sister, it was to take whatever you're doing seriously. If there was anything I taught her, it would be how not to take anything seriously. Now that we're both grown up, I feel confident that I can surpass my stiffest competitor.
