Long Distance Sisters

My sister and I have been long distance for more than four years. I distinctly remember the feeling of dropping her off at college as being all encompassing and crushing (I couldn’t listen to a Maggie Rogers song for months without crying). My brother moved out two years later, and just like that I was an only child of divorced almost-empty-nesters. 

Throughout that time, I learned to appreciate aspects of living apart from my siblings. Those two years I got a lot of things to myself, our previously shared bathroom being the most important. I also had the newfound ability to pick the T.V. shows I watched with my mom or choose the restaurant I ate at with my dad. But the truth is, I would have been willing to share all of those things just to live with my siblings again. 

Being a part-time-only child was lonely. The house felt too big, especially at night when I didn’t hear my brother come in from practice, even if that was always followed by him drinking straight from the milk gallon and me yelling at him to not do that. Life was also a lot quieter without my sister’s singing in the shower.

Since I’ve moved away and left my parents to be actual empty-nesters, I appreciate the short time with my siblings at home even more. The car drives from one Thanksgiving to the other means extra time to talk. 

My sister is my best friend and the person who understands me better than anybody else in the world. It’s hard to even feel like myself without her. Who else speaks my references fluently? Who else do I actually believe when they tell me everything will work out despite a failed test?

During the summers where she lived at home, we coexisted seamlessly. Everything we did was together: biking to yoga, watching our brother’s baseball game, reading on the Metra. 

Despite a three-hour time difference and what feels like, at times, leading completely different lives, we have managed to stay connected. We facetime, text, and send letters to stay up to date on each other’s lives. 

But what matters most is the time spent together. Sometimes it feels like all we can do is look forward; our conversations tend to be centered around countdowns until we next see each other, schemes to prank my mom when we’re together, and plans to visit each other’s respective cities.  

Sometimes, when I stalk her on FindMy, the distance between us feels insurmountable. But other times, like when she picks me up from the airport with a hug and a lecture about not letting my phone die on the plane, it’s like no time has passed. 

I don’t know exactly what our futures will look like, but I know enough to know that Katherine will always be my ultimate fashion advisor, best friend, and favorite person in the world. Being 2,858 miles apart is nothing but an inconvenience. 

• college
• distance
• mental health
• sibilings
• sisters