Flashback, when I first picked up the first novel, it was the first day of classes in the spring semester. My friends were all busy with rush for their sororities. I had no classes because my lab had not yet begun. It was a Wednesday. I was feeling a tad bit lonely, so I decided that in order to pass the time I would check out these books that everyone was talking about. Let's just say that this decision turned me into a mix between a monk and a book worm. I read the book in an afternoon. I could not work out. I could not even walk downstairs to put my produce from lunch back in the refrigerator after I had forgotten to do so. I kept saying I would stop at the next chapter. But it's funny how the next chapter turned into the next chapter and so on and so forth until I had just finished.
But I digress from the real reason I started this post. I was just thinking about why I love these books. For one, the do not idolize the romantic relationship. I think that this is my biggest frustration with Hollywood, the media, and our culture at large. It is easy for women, especially women around my age and younger, to idolize love and the perfect relationship. It is easy to feel that if love was alive and present in my life, then all my other problems would dissolve. This is flawed thinking. Now, you may be asking what I mean by this. The Hunger Games trilogy is really one big love triangle, right? 1984 meets Twilight? I confess that the Hunger Games highlights Katniss's struggles through her feelings. However, the important difference is the ranking of her relationships. Family comes first. Now, I don't ever wish that I would kill someone in cold blood. But I resonate with Katniss. I feel the liquidation of her internal organs when she realizes that Prim is reaped. I sense the anguish in her voice when she volunteers to take her sister's place. Trading life for death. This is how I hope I would respond for my siblings. Not only would I want to spare them from a tragic end, but I also know for sure that I do not want to do life without them. The sibling relationships is usually the longest relationship one has in life. It is also one that is marked by selflessness that is not found in many other relationships. I find myself looking out for my siblings in ways that I don't usually look for my friends.
There is also significant literature and art dedicated to the exploration of the sibling relationship. The two works that pop into my mind are My Sister's Keeper and A River Runs Through It. They are interesting perspectives through some tumultuous sibling interactions.
I am thankful for my three wonderful siblings. I believe in the quote, "Missing someone isn't about how long it has been since you have seen them or the amount of time since you've talked. It's about that very moment when you're doing something and you wish that they were right there with you." I've been missing those three lately. I'm looking forward to summer when we all be together.
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