That's my brother!

Back in the 80's there was a McDonald's commercial that used to make me cry. It followed the relationship through the years between an older brother, his younger sister, and hot, delicious french fries.



If you are a girl with an older brother, you understand my sentimentality.

No matter what, we just can't help loving them, looking up to them. No matter how mercilessly they tease us, tickle us, try out their wrestling moves on us, harass our friends, get us in trouble, push us down the stairs on a tricycle, and, with a well-timed kick of a skateboard, cause us to fly over the handlebars of our bike. They can make us so crazy mad that we chase them around the house with something sharp, and then lock ourselves in the bathroom when we realize that when they find us they will pound us. Even so, nothing can stop us from being in awe of them, trying to be like them and vying for their attention and admiration.

We follow them around. We imitate them. We sneak into their room and snoop through their stuff (sorry). We like what they like (Mmmm, Mountain Dew). We kick butt on the Atari to impress them. We become the goalie on our soccer team because they are a goalie, even though we are afraid of the ball. We play 2-on-2 football with them and the brother and sister down the street (Ivyyyyyy!). We pretend to like classic rock. We allow them to drag us to the civic center to watch Wrestlemania on a big screen (not in person - on a big screen). We willingly take the fall for them and we relish the rare moments when they depend on us.

Why do we do these things?

Because we really and sincerely believe that they are cool. Because they make up funny songs on long car trips (my fave - 'smoke a cigarrette'). Because they get in trouble more than we do and make us look like the well-behaved child. Because they are good at everything. Because they let us date their cute friends and keep us away from their creepy ones. Because when we do something mean and tell them about it, they call us on it, but don't rat us out (or maybe they do, but we deserve it.) Because they let us visit them in college and hang out with their friends. Because they aren't annoyed when we then decide to follow them halfway across the country to said college. Because when we get our heart broken, they pick us up in the middle of the night in the middle of an ice storm and sneak us into their dorm room so we don't have to be alone. Because they always make us laugh. Because they will consider casting themselves off a bridge when they have caused us injury.

Because he is my big brother. Because he is my friend.

Happy birthday, Mike.