Monday, December 18, 2006

Big Brother

He was always ahead of you... always the benchmark. He couldn't help it. He was older and you looked up to him in more ways than one. At 6'4", he rose above you. You at 5'8". And through school, from 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th... senior year... the teachers compared you with him. He was on the dean's list; you barely made 3.0. He's now a doctor. You're an entrepreneur...

We'll see each other this Christmas. We'll all have drinks in the living room. Chit chat chit chat and then the guard comes down and your'e reminiscing over your youth. Remember that time when we rode our bikes down... it doesn't matter how the story goes. It's as universal as mankind. Your family connects you. They are the only people who really know you.

We did a river trip together a few years ago. A short trip, only 2 days or so. Just two men enjoying the water. Rafting and paddling through waves. That night, on the beach, we talked as two men. Small slights were forgotten as we gazed upward to a million stars. We talked through the night.

The ritual of breaking bread with a family... it's that same feeling. Gathering this Christmas night with young and old. Good food. Good family. We come together as a tribe of people with all sorts of foibles. All sorts of stories. Be patient. We must be patient and understand each other...

Then the night wears on and everyone sits down to this gourmand meal. We share food and memories and each other. He, once again, becomes the big brother. You become that small boy who admired him and loved him. Though pangs of jealousy may haunt us, we don't let it come between us anymore. Not on Christmas...

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