My sister is two years younger than me and when we were young we were very close.
I remember playing Barbie's and road hockey. We spent alot of time annoying my brother and commiserating about pop stars we had crushes on and boys we liked at school. Our fights are hilarious in retrospect - for example she once told me she was happy she had a healthy chest compared to my chocolate chip breasts. I think I quipped that at least mine would remain perky:) (I'm not sure I was right). I once made her throw up multiple times and she mocked my dancing. We spent hours trying to figure out how to be Canadian and Indian without alienating our parents and their community. And no matter what happened, there was nothing I wouldn't do for her.
I left home at seventeen and never looked back. In some ways I abandoned her as I ran like h*ll away from my parents' reality and I hoped towards my life. And as that life happened, we drifted apart. We love each other and there is still nothing I wouldn't do for her but it is not the same.
The last few years it has been joyful watching her become - more confident, more adventurous, more curious and more in love with herself.
She is a media darling right now for her project - The Year of Hugging Fearlessly. Here are two links, one for a print article and one for a video of when she appeared on TV. Take a look, I guarantee it will make you smile. Apparently the project has a Facebook page, if you are so inclined.
http://www.mondaymag.com/articles/entry/womans-mission-is-to-hug-furiously/news/
http://www.youtube.com/user/ANewsVanIsland#p/u/0/gwhvgeo5qnM
