Project 64: Tan
Only a few weeks left for Project 64: out of the box. We’ve lost a few along the way, but those still playing share fabulous finds every week. This is Tan week and I found a “sister” statue that I simply love. Since I have two daughters, I’ve always envisioned this statue being my two girls since they look about the same difference in ages.
Sisters. Like all family relationships, having a sister can be complicated. Since I didn’t have any brothers growing up, I can’t speak to that dynamic. But I do know sister relationships constantly morph throughout our life. For many of us, our sister is our first friend when we’re very young. And then we turn into tweens and teens and the [nuclear meltdown is imminent] DEFCON-1 fights begin.
Once we’re done being petty, selfish and self-absorbed…and for some that takes decades…we return to being friends. But this time, it’s with a deeper understanding of the struggles the other has gone through, and a desire to connect on a much deeper level than before. Sure, along the way there’s a good possibility there’s been deep hostility, resentment, jealousy and more than one wish that we’d been an only child. But hopefully those immature feelings eventually give way to a relationship based on mutual respect and a genuine desire to have our sister as a friend, once again.
Here are a few “sister shots” that fell when I shook the family tree. I’m sure the sister dynamic was the same, regardless of the era!
These are the Wilhite sisters. FIVE of them! Can you even imagine the level of estrogen-induced cat fights in that house? My grandmother is in the middle of the back row. Her twin is to her right.
My mom had one sister and three brothers. She was quite a bit younger than her sister.
This is me and my sister around 1975. Once we hit the teen years, we drifting apart with our own interests. We’re working on that now, but I’ll always regret the years we missed out on each other’s company.
And here’s the sisters you know and love as Army Wife and The Floridian. Different as night and day, I sincerely hope they will nurture their relationship so they don’t drift apart for the next 20 years.
They surprised Entrepreneur and I with this shot a while back. It’s still my all-time favorite photo of them together.
And here they are today. Two beautiful women, each in her own way.
Sisters…just because you’re related, doesn’t mean the relationship is always a warm and fuzzy greeting card. But because you’re related, your sister is part of the only extended family you have. She’s the complex woman who shares not only your genes, but your history as well.
Wow, talk about a digression. Let’s return now to Project 64!
