An Ode to Being a Big Sister
Week 4: Some changes and reflections on growing up
Welcome to week 4! A few changes are happening:
The title of each week is going to focus more on the lesson - ultimately I think it’ll work better!
A few times a month, I’ll publish a special edition newsletter. My goal is for one to be public health focused and the other a different topic.
That’s about it! Just wanted to keep everyone in the loop :)
Thanks for being here! Subscribe to continue seeing the evolution of Junk Drawer.
Weekly Gratitude
Fake Fall: I’m not sure if this happens everywhere in the mid-Atlantic, but this past week in DC has been “fake” fall. Days in the mid-70’s with sunshine. I LOVE IT. Not just because it’s refreshing to be outside without sweating, but also because when it’s over, I appreciate the intense summer heat again. It’s a reset of sorts.
To-Do Lists: I have a 3-week trip to Jersey coming up, and the only thing keeping me on top of work and getting ready has been my to do list!
The Beach: My parents live on the Jersey Shore, and I know I’m close when I can smell the ocean. It’s also approaching local summer, and I plan to take full advantage (though I’m not a local anymore).
Lesson of the Week
When I was four years old, my family welcomed my younger brother. I love our age gap of four years, because I remember a lot of his early life through a gaze of wonder. I was deeply concerned about how this little human was somehow going to know and say all the words that we used. Or how he would learn to walk!
He did learn to talk (and got really good at it…), and got the walking thing after a few nasty falls, and now he’s going off to college! As he approaches this next chapter, I’ve been reflecting on what it’s meant to be a big sister. I came across a poem a while ago, written from the perspective of a younger sibling, and an idea that stuck with me is that younger siblings only know life with an older sibling.
It really struck me because I do have an idea of what life was like without my brother. And I got to learn what it meant to be an older sister. What it was like to have my heart grow in a way that I didn’t know was possible.
And so the lesson for this week is looking at my identities, some that I’ve never thought about, and appreciating what they’ve given me.
If I weren’t a big sister, I don’t think I would be the mom friend. If I weren’t a big sister, I don’t think I’d understand how you can be so angry with someone because you want everything in the world for them and sometimes they get in their own way. And I don’t think I would feel the same way about growing up.
There’s a certain magic in watching someone else take their first steps, go to their first concert, learn to drive, etc. It allowed me to appreciate all that I accomplished while feeling a sense of pride (and anxiety, if you’re me).
Obviously my brother and I have moved through the world in different ways, and will continue to do so. He got the music genes and I got the type A genes, for starters. But, I’ve gotten to share my experiences and the lessons I learned the hard way with him so that maybe he doesn’t have to. And I get to listen as he does learn, and laugh through the moments that I walked through first and he’s just now experiencing. We also get to talk about the uniqueness of our family with probably the only other person who understands.
It’s been the biggest honor of my life to have this identity and to play this role. It’s both exciting and nerve wracking to see him go off to school. I’m sure my parents feel similarly, but I just keep thinking “I hope I gave him everything he’ll need”. Different from my parents though, I hope I gave him the knowledge and advice to navigate college in 2024. The things you maybe don’t want to talk about with your parents.
I fully expect that I’ll get some texts or calls and he’ll be on a college campus with SO many resources. But, I still feel like I have to take a deep breath and just trust that he’ll be okay.
I can’t envision a world where I’m not the older sister to my younger brother. I hope that I’ve been good at it in all the chapters so far, and I hope I will be going forward. So much of who I am is because of the lessons that I’ve learned through being an older sister, and I’m so glad that’s the case.
Currently Consuming
Book(s): My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Ottessa Moshfegh. Unsurprisingly, as an early 20-something, this book really got me. I felt like Moshfegh somehow understood my instinct to hide under the blankets, and showed what would that would take and what the consequences would be. I think this book is either a love it or hate it, personally I fall into the love it camp.
Shows: I flew through The Garden: Commune or Cult?, docuseries on HBO max. It’s a look into an “intentional” community, but I think it’s also a look into the psychology of group living and the different personalities that arise. Super interesting, hoping for a season 2!
Podcasts: I started listening to American Hysteria by Chelsey Weber-Smith, and LOVE it! The episodes aren’t too long, which makes them digestible stories about different “hysteria”s throughout US history, like stranger danger.
Music: At least once a year, I fall back into the music I listened to at 14. Lots of pop rock, some might equate it to “emo” music. A favorite band, then and now, is State Champs.
Substack: There’s definitely a theme in my favorite substacks: women scientists on a mission to improve science literacy and make health information actually make sense. This week I want to highlight Immunologic, from Dr. Andrea Love. Particularly this post on cancer rates. I appreciate how she calls out people who use statistics in misleading ways and teaches us how to find the BS.
Phrase of the Week
Hope is not a bird, Emily, it's a sewer rat -- Caitlin Seida **about the grittiness of optimism
Career Corner
In the first substack post I published, I linked to the Public Health Communications Collaborative! I love their resources and their dedication to improving the health communications field. So, I’m super excited to announce that I’ve been accepted to their first cohort of brand ambassadors!
Over the next three months, I’ll be sharing more about PHCC and their resources. Even if you don’t work in health communications, public health, or communications, their resources can help you interact with health resources and potentially improve your communication skills! I hope you’ll engage with me as I share these resources and more about the collaborative.
Enjoyed this week’s newsletter? Liked it so much you just NEED to share? Go ahead!!
Thanks for reading again this week! As always, I appreciate you being here <3