What My Brother Has Taught Me About Celebrating Life...

This photo is from the spring of 1988 when he biked to my Laurentian University graduation ceremony to share in the moment even though there were only tickets for parents.

 

I have no idea whose idea it was to swap hats for the photo but I love it. I keep the photo on my desk at the office.

 

 

This photo is from last August. This is him demonstrating how we give life the finger when it seems ridiculously unfair.

 

Two very different life occasions, same lesson. Life is worth celebrating. Always.

 

In the 32 years between these two photos, my brother has taught me to live life to the fullest.

 

He has taught me about wine, and food, and coffee.

 

He has taught me about music, and movies and art.

 

He taught me about the magic of travel. I was slow to learn about that, but not because he didn’t try.

 

He’s the person who taught me about the importance of birthday festivals and celebrating your arrival into this world for at least a month every single year, at least after 40!!

 

He’s the person who helped me write out my first bucket list at 36, when I had just ended my marriage and couldn’t breathe. And then helped me immediately start crossing stuff off, starting with caviar. Lol

 

And here’s what’s significant about all of this.

 

He didn’t teach me this with books and lectures. Although, surely there must have been a couple of lectures along the way. I’m sure I deserved them.

 

He taught me by demonstrating. He taught me by living the shit out of his life. He led by example.

 

And he has inspired ME to live the shit out of MY life, and hopefully I can inspire others to do the same. Especially my kids.

 

What’s funny is that, in the first picture, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t much more than an annoying little sister. He is 9 years older than me after all. We probably had nothing in common in that photo.

 

And here we are, 32 years later, and there is no one I would rather spend time with than him. (And his wife Laurie. Because we switch restaurant meals with each other. And she can research travel like nobody’s business. )

 

Whether he’s treating me to Bellinis at Milestones in Ottawa, renting beautiful oceanside cottages with me in PEI or Lunenberg, Nova Scotia and cooking lobster that he’s allergic to, walking to a tiny bakery in the French countryside to bring back fresh croissants for breakfast, or tracking down a local fisherman to introduce me to spot prawns on Vancouver Island, and too many other beautiful memories to mention, my brother is always up for taking me on adventures. And spoiling me. And we all I know I love to be spoiled.

 

To my brother Chris, I love you to bits! I hope you have a fabulous birthday! 

 

And to the rest of you reading this, I hope you surround yourself with people who allow you to dream big and live your life to the fullest.  Your kids need you to show them how it's done. xo

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