Dear Hadley,
For the longest time, you were just my irritating little sister. Stereotypical middle child, number 4 in our family, you were constantly getting in the way and making sure we saw you doing it. I have no memories of you being tranquil. Only Tasmanian devil-ish. You play hard, but you love hard, too. You were the kid we could count on to make us laugh, and make us want to invest in noise cancelling headphones.
But since you’ve grown older, you’ve not only become a productive member of society (as Dad would say), you’ve somehow managed to maintain that wild zest for life. You somehow know how to channel your energy into wonderful accomplishments AND zealous memory-making. I thoroughly enjoy your company as an adult, and yet there are moments where I still know we are total opposites.
In many ways you are the parts of me that I never fully realized. You are the spontaneity, the fearlessness, the adventure to my structure, order, and calm. You are the “pick up and go” to my stay home and be cautious. You have taken the trips, made the leaps, pursued the careers in ways that I never had the guts to do. I honestly don’t know when you sleep. But it makes me so proud to know that, while I may have fallen short of my expectations for my own life in some regards, you have picked up the torch and lit an entirely different fire.
You, with your fierce beliefs and defiant feminism, have become more than I ever have been. You have taken the definition of an “Orr girl” and revolutionized it to be even better. When I need a little extra gumption in my life, I think of you. I think of how you would react to any given situation, and I’m instantly filled with courage. You’ve never backed down from a challenge. Not when you were craving attention as one of the youngest in a family of six, not when you were defying stereotypes in male-dominated college courses. And I admire that.
Where is that wild child I remember racing down the sand dunes of Lake Michigan? I see her in your curly hair, in your solo trips to NYC on a whim. I see her in your pursuit of a relationship that is nothing less than extraordinary. Never doubt that she has helped you get where you are today. Never doubt that she was, and continues to be, an completely irreplaceable member of our family. No matter how different she may feel at times. She is one of us.
So today, on your birthday, I salute your free spirit. I will do one impulsive thing today in your honor. And I will tell you that I love you, I’m proud of you, and I am honored to call you my sister.
XO,
A
