My Happy Place

Sometimes being the baby of the family has its perks. I, annoyingly so according to my two older sisters, got a phone earlier, a higher allowance, a later bedtime that turned into a later curfew. But as my sisters have gotten farther away, the spotlight of attention has focused in on me. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with spotlights; I am an attention seeker. But that light can get hot after awhile. 

On my stage (i.e. the dinner table), I would answer questions as if I was in the Miss Universe Pageant and I would do my best stand up act and I would report with a Fox News bias on my day. And my mouth between all the chewing and talking never seemed to stop moving. Then again, I have always been known for babbling, rambling, spewing words without having a clear point or purpose. But I think after awhile, I forgot what it felt like to listen.

When my older sisters were home over winter break, the light dispersed. I reveled in the coolness of its dimming. All of a sudden, I got to sit in the audience and watch the performance unfold. Stories from England and Vermont, pubs and classroom hooligans, cooking and rock climbing, new friends and new jokes. I was enraptured--laughing, looking, listening. I felt myself growing silent and my mouth could finally take a break. 

I felt relieved. I felt happy. I realized I felt younger; I was in my rightful place.

My sisters are always there for me, sometimes when I wish they would just leave me to make my own mistakes. But where would I be without their words of advice? They make me feel younger because they make me remember that there is so much I still haven't experienced. There is so much they still haven't experienced. Lucky for me, they have made a path for me to follow. Sometimes I choose not to follow it. But it's nice to know it's there. 

Actually, being the baby of the family definitely has its perks.