We all have a role model. Anyone you've ever met can be that spark in your soul that helps you decide the kind of person you want to grow to become. The person that you look up to in every aspect of your life and strive to be more like them every day of your life. For me, that person is my sister, Brittany.
Being three and a half years older than me, she was already making her way in this world before I even came around. But I truly thank God for that because I have had a best friend by my side since the very day I was born. She taught me how to tie my shoes, how to read books, and how to swim. We were inseparable. We lived in our own world of Barbie dolls and "paper people" cut from the sales ads in the Sunday paper. We would stay up late at night "chit chatting" from our bunk beds about absolute nonsense, but we laughed our heads off. She taught me that you don't need much in this life to be happy.
Brittany taught me that sometimes you just have to let things go. She's a free spirit. I am the kind of person who needs structure and a plan. I wish I had a little bit more of her in me. To just take things as they are and make the best of it. She taught me that not everything can be fixed, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Make the best of a bad situation and continue to live your life.
She is the most confident person I have ever met. She could roll out of bed in sweatpants and a hoodie and tattered boots with no makeup on and go into Walmart like she owned the place. Which has happened, actually. I can only dream to have that mindset. To be able to see myself as beautiful in every circumstance the way she does.
She taught me true bravery. Nothing in our lives has been easy. She was the first of us to move away from home for college, and she excelled. She has made something of her life despite every obstacle thrown her way. Her life experiences have gotten me through the hardest times in my life and I am so grateful to have a sister who would set everything aside just for me. She is my inspiration when my passion is not enough.
Most of all, she taught me how to be a big sister. How to love another person unconditionally no matter how much they get on your nerves. She taught me, and continues to teach me every single day, how to be a good person and how to go through this life and make the most of it.
Some days I have no idea who I want to be in the future, but every day I know I would be doing something right if I ended up just like her.
