Irony Becomes Her

Sibling Revelry

My brother and I have a vibe. I maintain (as many professionals in sociology and psychology probably also do) that our relationships with our siblings cannot be simulated in a relationship with any other person. We often say "so-and-so is like a brother to me" and such things, but I think you've got to have a buddy with the same genetic and biographical raw materials to make that wonderful concoction of similarity that comprises fraternal relations.

There is no explanation for this relationship to anyone, let alone people outside the family. My brother and I have started doing a rhythmic chant of "internet" and "hot pot" in a sort of call-and-response style. It has yet to fail in reducing us to helpless giggling. Somehow our lack of internet connection and my discovery of my old cooking appliance encountered one another in the right environment to produce one of those odd entities often labeled "inside jokes." Like I said, no explanation is possible. But we sure have a heck of a lot of fun doing it, and analysis seems counter to preserving that mysterious vitality.

In fact, we have some kind of telepathy that enables us to identify with amazing precision what the other is thinking/feeling and respond accordingly without need for speech. Even living in separate states for several years after growing up together, we haven't lost much in the way of sharing our manners of speaking/thinking.

I can't comprehend how an only child could possibly enjoy benefits outweighing this one. My brother and I are both remarkably similar (extremely competitive, intelligent, stubborn, sarcastic) and drastically different (reserved/open, coordinated/not, engineer/writer, etc.). I think we're both grateful for the iron which has sharpened iron since we were both mere ore.

posted by Lynn @ 9:39 AM