Growing Up

​By Aiza

Living in the same house with the same people for years makes you accustomed to that life. Even the slightest change can be exciting or even unnerving. Take guests coming over for example, when you’ve lived in a small house of 4 people, an added individual seems like a major shift in the daily routine. But this is about a person coming into the house, it can bring joy and a positive change into the house for the short time they are visiting. How do you make someone leaving the house feel normal though?

When you’ve lived with someone for the most part of your life and now they’re leaving to make their own life, it feels as if a part of your life has been removed from existence. It’s how I felt when my only sibling, my older sister, left for university in another city. Even though she wasn’t going too far and we did visit each other as much as we could, there was still an emptiness that nobody else could fill. It could be small things like walking by her room and not seeing her sitting inside with loud music blaring or not being able to have dinner cooked by her on Friday evenings. These were considered the most mundane things when she lived at home but just these things made her absence feel like a void. 

It has taken a while to grow used to it but I have come to terms with the fact that she is out there, living her best life. No matter where she is, she will always be a part of my life. Yes, her leaving was an emotional time but I am so very happy for her, watching her grow up and grow into the world independently. With that said, I know my time will come and even if it’s as sad as it was to watch her leave, I am looking forward to my life in the adult world.