My relationship with my brother has been fairly close. At home, we’d usually chill in the basement, talking about whatever was on our minds. For dinner, you'll usually find us sitting at the dinner table together, sharing stories about our day while enjoying our warm, freshly cooked meals just as any other "normal" family would. We also had our desks downstairs as well as our beds in the same room, so you could say we spent an abnormal amount of time near each other.
At times, I'd sometimes find myself staring at the basement stairs, unconsciously wishing for him to walk down. Or staring at his bed as I lay in bed, as talking to each other was routine before we slept. "You don’t appreciate what you have until it’s gone." We all have heard this cliché adage told to us many times by our good old life-teaching parents. As many times as it has been told to me, it'd always go in through one ear and straight out the other. But now, I really do understand what it means. As much as I truly don't want to admit it, only now do I realize missing the company of my brother. It's almost as if these brews of emotions coerced me into creating this recognition from suddenly being cut off after my whole life of being in close contact with him. I suppose everyone experiences this feeling at least 1 time in their life.
Most of the time we are so caught up in our busy lives that we don't have the chance to step back and think about what we appreciate in life. I know, I know, first world problems, especially considering this example is fairly mild to more serious topics, but I think something we often don’t appreciate until we lose it. Yet at that point, it'll already be too late...
For sure, for sure.
ReplyDeleteMy older brother started school in Chicago two weeks ago, and I haven't talked much with him since. Minutes before he left, I told him that whenever he has free time we could play Borderlands 2 together online.
We have not had a chance yet, he's busy, I'm sort of busy, and the days are short. I'm hoping we can play together soon.
This really hit home for me. I have two older brothers with a seven and eight year gap from me. It was fun to have my siblings around to play games with or joke with. Here's my two cents on the matter, it's going to feel really awkward at first. You have to get used to (as you said) walking past the empty bedroom or the empty seat next to you. However, when your brother comes back during breaks you'll have more to catch up on and really focus on your self-improvement. I'm guessing you'll start feeling like an only child, so now it's crucial that you can rely on your friends to confide in and hang out with.
ReplyDeleteI could totally relate to this. It felt the same way when my older sister, who I was really close to, started college. I barely see her as much as I used to, and even when she's home she's either studying for exams or doing her lab research. I'm hoping we'll get to hang together soon, like we used to.
ReplyDeleteMy brother and sister both recently moved out, and I get what you mean about something feeling "off". I was barely home to begin with, so I didn't think I'd feel the loss of their presence much but there was still an emptiness in the house. After a few months you get used to it. Oddly enough, when they visit it feels normal, but after the visit the house feels vacant for a bit. Honestly, I've just realized to take advantage of the time they're here when visiting and making the most of it.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this post. I wanted to point out that even though it might seem like a mild issue in the large scope of things, it is still valid and important. Like you said, many people do go through this. For me, personally, it was moving to a new place and starting over whatever. But even though a lot of people experience it, doesn't make your experience any less valid it just makes you more relatable lol. Overall, nice story and description, I could picture the scenes very easily in my head.
ReplyDeleteYour title pretty much sums up the feeling. After my sibling left for college, there was a resounding emptiness in the house. It wasn't really noticeable until the weekends, where the entire ambiance was different. It's gotten to the point where my parents are desperately asking me to bring friends, even anyone over to help fill the void.
ReplyDeleteEven though my brother is going to the U of I, I often find myself with these thoughts, as he's moved into his own place. It's a really weird feeling to be the only child in the house, to be the sole attention of my parents most of the time. My dad, who I'm much closer to than my mom, often has to take business trips every month or 2 for 2-3 weeks, so I often get extremely lonely sitting in my room with no one to talk to.
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