The Age Difference

My little brother got engaged a couple of weeks ago.

Let me say that again.

My brother, who happens to be 5 years my junior, got engaged. To be married. To his high school sweetheart nonetheless.

And you know what? I thought I would be upset about this.

I thought it would be emotionally traumatizing to see my younger brother go through this rite of passage before me. I thought it would make me fall to pieces and question everything about my life and what I've accomplished thus far.

Instead, I find myself really happy for him and his fianceé.

(whew. I'm glad to find out that deep inside, I actually AM a good person.)

I mean, I'm a cynical person. I can't help but make jokes about the "perfectness" of it all. He's adorable, his fianceé is beautiful, they're high school sweethearts, they were originally going to get married on a beach in Hawaii... it's enough to make someone, well...sick. My first thought was that something that perfect couldn't actually be real. My second thought was to take comfort in the fact that you don't truly appreciate love until you've been devastated by it.

Then I thought, "You know what? That's crap."

My path through life has been drastically different than my little brother's, but that's what makes me me, and makes him him. Instead of catalouging the various ways that my scars make me superior...

I find myself rooting for him. You go little brother. This will work out for you. This will be wonderful and perfect and fun and true. I have faith that your path will be everything you want it to be, and I wish you every happiness. I'm glad I'm here to watch you go through it.

Now I get to sit back and watch the wedding plans commence. THAT should be fun :-)