My sister Erika and I are inseparable. It is always “The Twins” or “Lyndsey and Erika.” For all of my 19 years of living, that’s all I heard and I was totally okay with it. Never by force, always choice – we just love hanging out with each other. Despite establishing myself as my own person, I always had a safety net wherever I went. I always knew one person was in my corner if something went wrong, that was Erika. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without my twin sister. Having Erika as my safety net allowed me to explore things on my own and get my hands on as many opportunities that I could find, especially when it came to our senior year of high school. After our senior trip, it was full on college mode leading up to the ultimate decision day, May 1st.
After May 1st all of the tension was released from my neck and shoulders, I finally decided that I was going to my top school, Jefferson University. I knew since I was a sophomore in high school that my dream school was Jefferson University. Crazy, right? The crazy part is the actuality of sitting here writing this at Jefferson University. With the abundance of opportunities that Jefferson had to offer, I was more than ecstatic to put my deposit down and start this new chapter in my life. August 17th couldn’t have come fast enough!
On the other hand, Erika didn’t want August 17th to exist. She couldn’t imagine me not being home. In all honesty, I would never know the depths of how she was felt about me going away to school because I never had to experience it. It was obvious that I would miss her too but I always knew she was going to be there for me wherever I chose. Like me, everything she knew was being ripped from her grasp, but the difference was Erika was home with the constant reminder of it. Not living in close quarters of each other was one of the biggest adjustments we’d have to face to this day. The perk of it was, we were in it together and never faced it alone. I never would be able to understand how she was feeling but I was with her every step of the way.
I didn’t think it was physically possible to become closer to someone you were already close with. Surprisingly enough, distance was good for us. I came to the realization that distance allowed us to solidify ourselves individually. Yeah, we knew who we were already, but now we could grow more as individuals without the constant comparison, especially when it came to academics. When I come home, the distance makes the times we spend together worthwhile. No fights and arguments, it’s just careless banter that’s always done with a smile. Since I am just over the bridge in the infamous city of Philadelphia (GO EAGLES!), I am able to see her often. Erika never obliges to taking the drive up, she even hangs with my friends too! Distance will never be an issue for Erika and I, and I look forward to the future for the both of us.
When a twin goes away to school, they always know is that there’s someone who’s dying to see them when they come home.