Reason #11. Enjoy the little things

This one is for my bro on his birthday.

I’ve been wanting to draw a version of Zombieland’s ‘Rule #32: Enjoy the little things’ for his birthday for the past two years but never got around doing it. I thought that it was my usual procrastination or lack of planning that forbade me to do so, but I have come to realise that sometimes there are bigger reasons why ideas take longer to be executed, like this one. It now occurs to me that this piece of art was only meant to come to existence this year, to be immortalised alongside my brother, as one of the 35 reasons why I love myself.

My big brother is a gentle giant. He is taller than most people you will ever meet and probably the tallest if you live in Colombia. Behind the authority and powerful poise that his 2 meters of stature grants him, resides one of the kindest souls I know and the most protective of the people fortunate enough to be loved by him.

I remember being five years old and being asked by my mom whether I wanted to attend an all girls school or the school my brother was going to. The answer was simple, I wanted to be in the same place he was. There is safety in numbers and next to him I always felt safe. He made fun of me and teased me as older siblings do yet he would be the very first one to defend me if someone else was messing with me.

My brother has been a great teacher to me in more ways I can even explain.

He introduced me to my favourite bands and in consequence to a huge part of the soundtrack of my life. Some of the best memories I have of us is staying up late during school holidays watching music videos on MTV, when they featured all the punk rock, emo and ska punk videos that were never played during the day.

It is because of him that I love American football movies so much. We used to watch them together growing up, and whilst I have no clue what the rules of the game are and have never actually watched a game, they fill my heart with joy every time I watch them as they make me feel somewhat closer to him.

Through him, I learned to speak up for myself, to better communicate with others and hold my ground. But most importantly, I learned to give abundantly and enjoy the little things.

I hold so much of my brother in me that loving myself is loving him. It is the day-to-day, the little things, the small moments and memories created with the people we love that build up who we are.

This one’s for you bro, there is so much more to say, so much more love to express and gratitude to share for all you’ve done for me… I’ll save it for that point in time within the next five years when I will make my dreams come true and will take you to a Dashboard Confessional concert and an all expenses paid trip.

#35reasonswhyilovemyself