Of Beets and Sisters

I bought some beets at the Whole Foods tonight. I plan to roast them with lemon and olive oil. And then I will consume them mightily for lunch, as I am once again jobless.

I love beets. If I were going to participate in the 25 Random Things About Me fad I might include that particular random thing about me. As it is, I think my blog gives plenty of random facts about me.

Here's another one: I have only one sibling, and she is older than me. That means I'm the baby. I have always liked being the baby. I got to tread in Salty's footsteps as she brazenly blazed a trail of rebellion, body modification and dietary contrariness. I get to learn from her mistakes (thank goodness she got divorced before I got married), aspire to her greatnesses (like running and stuff) but still do stuff my own way if I want to. It's good. It works for me.

Enter the sidekicks. Suddenly I am not the baby anymore. Suddenly I'm an old lady with two fresh-outta-the-box girls on my hands. They love me. I love them. I enjoy their cuteness as they embark on this adulthood thing. I teach them what I can and wince when they make mistakes but know that they'll be better for having made them. I often wonder if I am too quick to offer them advice and sometimes think I should let them do what they want. Then they do some adorable thing like asking me to help read insurance statements and admitting that they've never done their own taxes. It brings a tear to my eye, remembering how I panicked and begged Salty for help the first time I had to do these things.

Needless to say, it's working out.... But I can't help but feel like we're on a different wavelength. That six years actually does make a difference. This is how Salty must have felt five years ago. We have a great dynamic, but I'm feeling the need to assert myself as a person whose recent memories don't include graduation or dorm rooms. I need to spend a little more time on my own with people my own age. And older. I like people who are older than me.

They make me feel like I'm still the baby.