Every day on March 2nd I celebrate one of the most important days of my life. On that day, exactly 21 years ago, I was blessed with the greatest gift my parents could have ever given me. I will always be thankful for my Super Nintendo, my Fisher-Price Castle, the Lego sets, and the many other cool things my mom and dad gave me, but nothing compares to the tiny beautiful amazing monster that was born that day — my awesome sister.

For those who do not have a younger sibling mentioning my sister in the same list as my favorite childhood toys may seem insensitive, but if you have a little bro or sis, who you love as much as I love mine, you know exactly what I am talking about. After 10 years of being an only child, there was nothing else that I wanted more in the world (except maybe a Gameboy Color or a pet monkey) than a sibling to play with. That is why on March 2, 2000, at around 9-something pm tears rolled down my eyes when I saw a gooey blob presented to me as my sister. That was the moment everything changed. The moment in which I became the thing in my life I am most proud to be, a big brother.

About an hour before my sister was born my father took me to eat dinner. Sitting in a booth inside a Carl's Jr. and munching on the restaurant's signature Western Bacon Burger, my dad gave me a speech I will never forget. Well, actually I do not quite remember the words he told me, but I do remember the feeling. "Son," my father (probably) said, "after today your mom and I won't be able to pay as much attention as we used to before, and we are going to need to you help out a bit more. Today your sister will be born and that means you are now a big brother." Again, I do not exactly remember the words my dad told me, but strangely enough, I remember the barbeque sauce on my burger. I guess in a way, the responsibility that was bestowed upon me instantly became codified in that sandwich. From that day forward, I was no longer alone in the world. There would be a little creature watching everything I said and did. Finally, I had gotten the monkey I wanted.

Although my sister and I are ten years apart, she is my best friend. Maybe it is weird that when I was 16 my best friend was 6, but even when she was just a snot-faced dummy she was still the coolest person in the world. When you grow into your teenage years it can be very easy to become jaded, to start hating the world as hormonal angst takes over, and yet through it all I was always reminded of how awesome the world is by spending time with my sister. I will always remember how for two weeks she became obsessed with the Nicolas Cage movie Ghost Rider and started drawing pictures of little girls with flaming skulls. Or how she would ask me to tell her the same jokes over and over again, not because they thought they were funny, but because she liked the way I told them. Or the coded language that allowed us to express ideas possibly never before expressed in the history of humankind, including the rarity of different types of poops. Anger, sadness, and all the negative emotions that encompass daily life never linger too long when you know there's a person in the world with whom you can talk about farts.

Of course, having a little sister is not always fun and games. As much as my sister is my best friend, she has at times been my most bitter rival. In pop culture the sibling relationship is often presented as a Looney Tunes-esque game in which siblings fight each other in ridiculous situations — it is my personal experience that this is 100% true. There is no better way to show that you love a sibling than by torturing them in whatever way possible. The first time I brought a girl I liked home, that was a perfect moment for my sister to divulge all my secrets and to completely embarrass me. The favor was repaid when I met my sister's first boyfriend and I worked extra hard to embarrass her (and as a bonus, to scare him). Furthermore, whoever said never hit a girl obviously never met my sister, whose destructive force earned her the nickname Tsunami among my family. Violence is never the answer, but sometimes a pillow to the face is the only way to calm a beast. However, through all the fights, all the torture, I know my sister will always be my best friend. She has taught me about forgiveness and the meaning of unconditional love.

In no way can I claim that I am a good person. I make mistakes (definitely too many), but knowing that whether I wanted to or not, that I was a role model for my sister definitely kept me out of trouble. When you are young there comes a point when you no longer care whether your parents will be upset if you get in trouble or if you do something bad, but the shame of doing something that would disappoint my sister? That's worth was far more influential than even the fear of a death penalty. The best part, however, is that now that my sister is older she has become a role model for me.

For all the teachers, coaches, and mentors I have had in my life none have been more influential than my sister. My sister has taught me that valuable opinions and ideas can come from anyone — even if you still remember a time when they pooped their pants. She taught me that girls have an unfair life and that it follows them as they grow into women. She taught me that strength comes in many different forms. She taught me that to change the world, you need more than big ideas, you also need big actions.

The last time I saw my sister in person was in October of 2019. Since then a pandemic and over 10,000 kilometers have kept us apart, but in that time our friendship is as strong as ever. We may not talk to each other every day, but when we do, I cherish every second of conversation we have. Ultimately, my sister has helped me become a better person in the world by helping me learn to appreciate how valuable things really are. If it wasn't for her childhood wonder, I would have long forgotten how cool things can be. If it wasn't for her tenacity and toughness, I would have never learned how important it is to not give up and to fight for what you believe. So, today, on her birthday, I am writing this article to tell the world what my sister already knows. She is the coolest most amazing person ever and without her, I would not be the person I am today.

I am sorry we can't be together on your birthday, but I went to Carl's Jr. to get a Western Bacon Burger to celebrate this awesome day. It's just a burger, but to me, it represents the day my life became awesome! Love ya, sis!