Sibling Rivalry

Christmas is over and it's a New Year, and all of us have probably made resolutions by now. I have made no resolutions, mainly because if I want to change something, I start immediately. It makes no sense to wait until the New Year. But one thing I never see on a list of resolutions is 'Attempt to make up with my sister/brother.'

I find resolutions are often selfish things, like losing weight or kicking an addiction and in general making your own life better. The holiday season isn't over, kids. Little Christmas was yesterday, and the spirit of it isn't gone yet. (If you don't know, Little Christmas was the day the wise men visited Jesus. What? You thought they went there in the same day? It takes time to travel.) Instead of making resolutions for yourself, it's better to consider what others might want this year, and act accordingly. Trust me, making other people happy is the best way to make yourself happy.

Consider making up with a member of your family, as an example. I had the misfortune of listening to my boyfriend and his brother fight last night, and it's not the first time I've heard it. I know I'm not the only reason they fight, it would be conceited of me to think that, especially considering everyone thinks his brother is total jerk. But, even considering that he's a jerk, there must be some part of him that's good. Sometimes it's just harder to find. I have made it my own personal mission to find this good in his brother.

I can imagine how my boyfriend thinks when it comes to his brothers. He lives with them, they annoy him. It's been a long time since I've had to live with my sisters, they're adults and they've moved, they have kids now. But in many ways, they still annoy me. It's the way siblings are, they're there to pose a challenge for you. You should be thanking them for making you stronger. And honestly, if you can't live with your siblings for years on end, what makes you think you can live with a significant other? Even boyfriends and girlfriends/wives and hubands will annoy you, maybe not to the point of losing your mind, but they'll still annoy you in some ways, no matter how similar you are to each other. I don't have this thing that my boyfriend has with memes and demotivational posters, but they're still geeky and sometimes they can be really funny, so I try and keep my attention all the time. Like this one.

I do the same with my siblings and family and friends and even my enemies, you never know who might teach you an important lesson, and they deserve attention from you just as much as your best friend does, despite whatever they've done to you, or perhaps even especially because of what they've done. They've made you a stronger person by making things harder for you. And besides, once your parents die, your siblings will be all you have, so I suggest you don't take that famlial bond for granted.

I'm in no way trying to preach or tell any of my readers what to do, this is just my little rant of the week. I'm not big on ranting, but once in a while, it's good to get it out of your system.

So will you make up with your siblings or anyone else you may have taken a falling out with? I know I'm going to try and get my boyfriend and his brother to get along, it's for the best, but what about you guys? Comments are always welcome.