Self-Awareness

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For my whole life, I grew up with not only the best older sister constantly by my side, but honestly my best friend. She was always there for help, advice, entertainment and of course, clothes. I managed to make it sixteen years always enjoying her presence, but without ever actually taking the time to realize how lucky I was to have such an amazing sister. This realization occurred to me on the day she left for college just last month (which was definitely not a pleasant day in my life to say the least). Seeing my sister has always been a normal part of my day and, as Wallace mentioned in “This Is Water”, her presence in my life was so “hidden in plain sight” that I never noticed the significant way she impacted me and how different my life would be with her away at college (238). I lost constantly being with the one who I count on to make me laugh and smile, which has certainly made my life one hundred times more boring and lonely than ever before. The hours I used to spend bonding with my sister has shifted to myself wishing that I could go back to the days when I was able to have an unlimited amount of time with her. This experience has ultimately led to my self-realization that I need to become more aware of the people who I am grateful for in my life and take advantage of each and every second that I am able to spend with them.

Comments

  1. Izzy MeremSeptember 23, 2018 at 1:58 PM

    Lauren, this is so cute! I can relate to this post a lot. I have two younger sisters and I don't feel like I appreciate them as much as I should. I have come to this realization because whenever they're gone to hang out with friends, I honestly feel so lonely, and they feel the same way when I'm out. We need to cherish the people that we have in our lives because one day, they won't be there anymore, and all that we will have is the memories of the times we spent with them.

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  2. Esther ChoiSeptember 23, 2018 at 5:01 PM

    Lauren, I can relate to this on so many levels because I experienced the exact same thing. When my sister left for college a month ago, I finally realized that even her everyday presence was such a huge portion of my life and it would be so much different without her. I feel like we all realize how important things or people can be once they disappear, and you do a great job explaining that being aware of your surroundings in order to learn and appreciate what you have is such an important thing in life.

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