195. What it must be like.

By Sarah Brill


Tonight I get to guest blog on my sister's site. A privelege in my world. Being the baby, everything my sister does has always been bigger, better, cooler and impossible. So, when the moments come that she welcomes me into her world and trusts me to take the reigns, I always feel a sense of accomplishment.

We shared a bathroom once upon a time, my sister and I. She was 18. I was 3. The epicenter of my awe for her, that bathroom was. I remember sitting on the counter, in a trance, watching her apply her makeup. It was in there that she told me purple was her favorite color. It was in there that she magically revealed 'No More Tangles' so that combing through my matted curly hair wasn't such a nightmare. It was in there that I imagined where she must have been going, who she must have been going to see, and what her magical life must have been like.

This afternoon a parallel universe came to be. I arrived at my sister's house and found my two nieces, busily at work in their own bathroom practicing their makeup skills. Abbey, takes after her mom. Her favorite color is purple too, but she likes it for her eyeshadow. Katie sprayed almost an entire can of hairspray into her hair. They made faces and imagined themselves preparing for an evening out as adult girls. I found myself, once again, wondering, what it must be like. Only this time, I am the adult and not the child.

What's it like to be a child? To not have a care in the world. Where the power of imagination is enough to create enough excitement to last a lifetime. Where the act of spending time in a bathroom with a sister is the best place a person could imagine being.

Actually, I know exactly what it's like because I remembered that feeling this afternoon as I watched Katie and Abbey immerse themselves in the task they had in front of them. I was reminded of the importance of the moment. Sometimes wondering what it's like someplace else can remind us that we are exactly where we need to be.