I talked to my big sister on the phone for an hour and twenty-three minutes tonight. She is nine years and three months older than me. And she lives close to 800 miles away. But, even if I could, I wouldn't change any of these numbers. Numbers don't change how lucky I am to have a much older sibling.

They're a mentor.

Having an older sibling to show you the halls of high school is cool, but having a much older sibling who is able to advise you on all the things life throws your way is even cooler. Whether it be about college or relationships or growing up, my big sister is always willing to offer me the pieces of information she has learned in the years she has on me. And I know that the advice my big sister gives me is advice that I can always count on because she is a living, breathing model of its outcome.

They want to see you succeed.

More than just about anybody, your older siblings want to see you do well. And I always know that I can trust my big sister because I am confident that her end goal matches mine. I know she wants me to succeed just as much as I want to succeed. And she will give me all the love (though sometimes tough) she can to get me there.

They're like a built-in best friend.

Siblings - a year older or ten years older - are the best friends we were born already having. My big sister is no exception. We may not have not have been able to share a bedroom or a school or matching outfits, but I know that we started in the same place with the same last name. Just because I started life almost ten years later doesn't change that my big sister is still and will always be one of my best friends.

They get your family.

One of the best parts about a much older sibling is that, though you spent a limited number of years under the same roof, your family is their family. They get that, no matter how old you are, your mom always says "sweet dreams" before you go to bed and that your dad often gives life advice through less-than-pleasurable songs on guitar. They get where you come from, and the older you get, the more special you realize that is.

The will always love you.

We may go a few days without talking. We may go a few months without seeing each other. But I know, without a doubt, that my much older sibling will always love me because, despite the years and the miles between us, she is still my big sister.