I’m sure everyone has that one person in their life that they consider to be their best friend. Whether that’s your friend from preschool, your cousin, your neighbor or even your dog, there is always going to be someone who we think of when we think of a true friend. While I do have many best friends in my life, I can confidently say that one of my strongest friendships and the one that I hold near and dear to my heart is the bond that I have with my sister, Amanda.
Not only is Amanda my sister, but she is also my best friend. When I think about it, Amanda was truly my first ever best friend. She has been through it all with me…both the good and the bad. Amanda truly knows everything about me. My likes, my dislikes, my hobbies, all of my secrets and more. Now of course we didn’t always get along, but no relationship is perfect. When Amanda and I were younger, like most siblings, we fought quite often. Since I am the youngest of my family, it was pretty easy to pick on me haha. However, over time we have learned to laugh at our past arguments and grow from them. One thing I have realized is that as I am getting older, those small fights my sister and I would have really didn’t matter at all. What truly mattered was our relationship with one another.
Being the youngest of my family, Amanda was someone that I always looked up to. I still look up to her. She is a hard worker, motivated, strong, stubborn, funny and overall displays a kind of character that I strive to be. Believe it or not, Amanda and I are very different when it comes to our hobbies and even our styles. Amanda describe’s my wardrobe as being “VSCO” girl, and to be honest, that is very accurate. I have always worn much more brighter and colorful outfits than Amanda. In fact, when people first meet us they typically say that we are complete opposites of each other. Amanda enjoys things like gaming, anime, and crocheting, while I enjoy singing, theatre, speech and all things public speaking. While Amanda and I have much in common with each other now, when we were younger a big thing that we shared an interest for was dance. Amanda is a phenomenal dancer…she has always been. Around the time Amanda was taking dance classes was when I was as well. As weird as it may seem, I like that we are both different in our styles and hobbies…it makes us who we are.
Even though our fashion and interests aren’t completely similar, Amanda and I both have very common personalities. We balance each other out. We always know how to cheer each other up. I can genuinely say that whenever I am feeling down, Amanda is the person that I am going to go to. She knows exactly what to say to make me feel my best. Amanda is constantly supporting me and is always reminding me of how much she believes in me, even if I may not believe in myself. She is always there for me. And I know that I will always be there for her no matter what as well. Things like starting high school, getting my first boyfriend, having my first breakup, going to my first ever school dance and getting my first job are just a few examples of some of the things that Amanda has helped me go through. Since Amanda has experienced all of these parts in life, herself, she was a comfort to me and really did help me to accelerate in my own life.
In 2010 a study published in the Journal of Family Psychology showed that having a sister can truly help to boost both mental health as well as self esteem. I know, personally, that Amanda has never failed to make me feel love and appreciated. Whenever I am feeling down she will do things like take me out for ice cream, make me laugh, let me rant to her, take me out to dinner, and so much more. When Amanda moved out to get her own place it was pretty difficult for me. I was scared that we were going to lose this amazing bond that we once shared together. Now that not only Amanda is moved out, but I am as well, I can honestly say that it has made our connection even stronger. We still make time for each other and are continuously there for one another even though there is distance between us.
As Marilyn Monroe once said, “Sisters make the best friends in the world.” Amanda is not only the best sister I could have asked for, but also the best friend I could have ever asked for. She is truly my forever build-in best friend. I cherish all of the times that we have spent together and cannot wait to make more memories with each other. I am thankful for Amanda more than she will ever know. In all honesty, I can sometimes be a lot to handle, but Amanda has stuck through it all with me. I am so honored to call her my sister. Friends come and go, but sisters will remain forever.