Healthy Chicks

As many of you know if you’ve been keeping up with my blog, I’ve spent the last five days visiting my sister in Baltimore (hence the lack of blogging every day). But what can I say? When I’m with the sis, stopping to pull out my Mac and blog is the last thing on my mind. Rather, I take every minute that I’m with her to catch up on life and have “sister chats.” (That’s what we call them.) We update each other on boys, jobs/work and the latest gossip among many other things. You see, since we’re less than two years apart (she’s 21 and I’m 23), we act more like friends than sisters. We make fun of each other/tease each other/can get on each other’s nerves time to time but at the end of the day we are as close as two peas in a pod.  And that right there is exactly why I love having a sister, and couldn’t imagine it any other way. 

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this article in the New York Times called “Why Sisterly Chats Make People Happier.” Wow! Sisterly chats? It’s like this article is speaking to me. Anyway, the article discussed a study that found adolescents who have sisters are ultimately happier, less likely to feel lonely or down in the dumps. The main reason being? Women are more likely than boys to talk about and share their emotions. 

The article really hit me hard this weekend, when I realized “What the hell would I do if I didn’t have a sister?” Really, when I thought about it she is the first person I go to when I really need someone. When I got my heart broken in college, I cried on her shoulder. When I got a job, she was the first person I called. And when I didn’t know what to do about my life/felt kind of lost, my sister was right there for advice. Whether I’m jumping for joy or find myself stuck in a sticky situation, she is my go-to person for confiding in. 

Yesterday, it became very clear to me how lucky I am to have a sister like that. One of my male coworkers confessed some really tricky stuff he’s going through in life right now, and I was obviously there to listen to him/give him some advice. He then explained to me that he doesn’t have many people to talk about this kind of stuff with – not many close friends, no family members who’d understand and definitely no one at work. I felt terrible for him. If only he had a sister who’d understand I thought ’cause if I was going through something of that magnitude I think my sister would be the only one who’d understand/who I’d have the guts to tell. Well, her and a few of my closest friends. 

So, after all is said and done, if you have a sister count yourself one lucky duckling. And if not, it’s OK to have a friend you call your sister or an aunt who you can tell anything to. Just make sure you have someone who you can share your downfalls/dreams/disasters with…judgement-free. 

Do you have a sister(s)? Are you close with her/them? If not, do you have a friend who is a sister to you?