With Thanksgiving slowly creeping up on us I thought I would write about something that I am thankful for (surprise, surprise); but seriously, there are a numerous amount of things that I am thankful for every day, one thing (or person rather) that I am thankful for is my sister.

My sister and I are 14 months and one day apart. Crazy close, huh? I honestly would never have wanted it any other way. We are complete opposites, sometimes I swear one of us was adopted. She’s quiet and meek, I’m loud and confident. She’s simple and classic, I’m vibrant and trendy. She’s dedicated and timely, I’m sporadic and emotional. However, our differences are what make us better together. We are best friends. Not the kind of “best friend” that you can be yourself around, but really don’t open up to. Not the kind of “best friend” that you hang out with weekly, but never cry around. And, definitely not the kind of “best friend” that you can’t be 100% honest with. We are the kind of best friends that infuriate each other then make up and laugh about it. We are bestbest friends. For life.

We’ve been through it all, plus some. We’ve been close our whole life. When we were younger we would make a tent in our living room and sleep out there together. We would play Barbies together day and night. One time when I got in trouble I was spanked and my sister cried. She felt for me, my pain was her pain. Speaking of pain, there were other times when we weren’t so close. She chipped my tooth once from us wrestling/fighting. We still debate on this, but she fell off the jungle gym at a park and broke her arm (she swears I pushed her off…).

Moving through life, middle school/high school is when we grew the closest. We moved from Florida to North Carolina when I was starting 7^th grade and she was starting 8^th. Literally within the weeks that we moved there our parents got divorced (it was pretty messy). Two life altering events happened within weeks of each other. The only person I had through it all was my sister. While one parent left, the other was depressed, since I was new to the area I had no other friends, only my sister. She was my rock, as I was hers. She was home when I didn’t have one. She was my counselor. We would ask each other how we felt about the divorce or how school was going. She was my girlfriend. I would talk with her about guys and gossip about the “new” girls at school. She was my guardian. She would force me to clean our room, or do homework after school (even though I never did either).

A weird quirk about me, that annoyed my sister terribly, was that I could never go to bed unless she was there with me. We had a bunk bed and shared the same room. Even if she was just out watching TV in the living room or in the kitchen, I would always ask, “When are you coming to bed?” like an old married couple. What she didn’t know was that she was my safe haven. I couldn’t go to sleep without her being in the room because her presence made me feel home, even when I didn’t know where (or who) that was.

The bond between sisters is beautiful and chaotic at the same time. Your sister can be the meanest person to you, because she knows all your secrets, she knows what makes you tick and how to use that against you. I remember a number of times I made my sister cry, on purpose, because I could. We both hurt each other a lot, because we knew how. Sisters also can be the single person to make you feel better and show you love in a way that no other family member can. When my sister left for college I was so upset. My best friend had left me. I had no one to bother, no one to keep me in line, and no one to share all my crazy high school secrets with.

Having an older sister is similar to having guide book to life right in your hands. While we were completely different, she was the guinea pig for most of life’s challenging moments and I usually followed suit behind her. She wouldn’t believe her if I told her, but she was a role model for me. She was such a good student in school, something I’ve never been. I envied her charm and charisma with boys. Growing up she always had a boyfriend and always had guys like her. I was always the “friend” or the “annoying little sister.” All I wanted was to be like her.

She was, surprisingly, (for those of you that know us, it is surprising) the first one to give me alcohol.She taught me all about college and showed me how college students really live. Some of my best days were spent at East Carolina University with my sister and her friends. Partying, drinking, and eating a lot of hibachi. Something I would have never experienced had it not been for her.

She’s always had my back, from steering me clear of the wrong guys, to making sure I took ibuprofen after a long night of drinking. From making sure I turn in my homework on time, to making sure I vacuumed out my/her car. That’s what older sisters are there for. She is literally my ride or die. She is my best friend and I’m so thankful for her.