Honoring My 'Person'

Towards the beginning of August, the Mack Pack (minus my college bound sister) took a trip up to Buffalo, New York - my father's hometown. The twelve hour excursion made for many laughs and fun times, and we even got to reconnect with a pastor and his awesome family along the way! Once we arrived, we were able to visit my grandmother and the rest of my father's side of the family, and  man was it fun! There's just something about being surrounded by family that makes you feel present and loved. It was great, to experience that while being excluded from my hometown for a while.


However, quite honestly, the peak of this trip was the time I spent with my brother. Considering it was our very first road-trip together, I was determined to make it a great one. Plus, in a home with no internet and only basic cable, we knew going in that we'd have to entertain ourselves in order to keep away from pure boredom during the down times. And entertain, we did. Though not in the way you'd expect.

Strangely, at the crack of dawn, around 3:00 AM to be exact, we would constantly find ourselves waking up, turning the lamps on, and howling with laughter until sleep begged us to lay our heads again. Maybe it was our sleepiness or maybe it was that child-like thrill of being up 'when you're not supposed to be', but I'm telling you, we were on a roll. I can't even recall all of the conversations we had, but I can definitely remember those breath-taking laughs, the ones that make your sides ache and your eyes water. And when we weren't laughing, we were talking about all sorts of things, from video games to principles in the Bible.

Those nights were so...liberating. My brother allowed me to be my weird, quirky self, a person who I honestly don't show to many people, not even to my closest friends. He also allowed me to be my God-loving self, a person who doesn't feel completely comfortable showing herself much either. He allowed me to be authentically...me. And even if it was only for a few days, it was a little stretch of time that I'll never forget and that I'll always be thankful for. Often, you don't want to be completely yourself because you never want anyone to be turned off by you. Which is honestly such a sad thing, considering that in that single week, I smiled so much, and I laughed even more.

So, today, I want to give credit and honor where it is due, and to sincerely thank my big brother, my 'person'. When I say 'person' what am I saying, exactly?

person (noun): someone who allows you to freely live as your authentic self without hiding a single aspect about what makes you a unique human being. This person does not feel as if it is a burden to care for and liberate who you are, and in fact, they most likely sincerely enjoy and/or are charmed or delighted with the person you've turned out to be.

To my brother: thank you, from the bottom of my heart. It was so great to share many vital and yet bizarre conversations with him, like when it came to things like weight, television show plots, and financial tips. I will always remember when in the middle of some random conversation, he asked me, "Do you love yourself?" To which I replied, "I...I do. At least, I think I'm getting there." A second time, he told me to get up from where I was laying down. I was quite comfortable and had no intentions of getting up any time soon, but with a few grumbles I stood to my feet and went over to him. It was then that he wrapped his arms around me, gave me a little squeeze, and simply said, "I love you. I just want you to know that." 

To you: I want to encourage you to hold onto that 'person' in your life and never let go of them. Even as our trip to New York came to an end, my brother and I still made plans to hang out every now and then once we returned. Cherish the person who genuinely loves you and every part of you, whether they're your spouse, your girlfriend/boyfriend, your siblings, your friends, your co-workers, your relatives, your boss, WHOEVER. Prioritize them and make them regular parts of your life. If you don't think you have a 'person' (or 'people', who says you can't have more than one?), I want to challenge you to make a conscious effort to be that person to someone else, and allow them to freely let their personalities shine, quirks and all.

Everyone has a person inside of them that needs to be let out. A personality trait that is tired of being ignored. Be bold, and laugh too loud, sing a funny song, break a little dance move, whatever you need to do to tap into that person that you've been hiding away. Cherish the ones who welcome and bring that person out of you. And then? Be someone who can show the same love to someone else.