This past weekend my dad and uncle celebrated their 50th birthdays (they're twins). I went to Chicago to partake in the festivities and had a lovely time. More importantly though, was the epiphany I had while listening to my uncle share something personal about himself to the family and friends that were present: I am my father and uncle rolled up in one person. My uncle Minor expressed that with twins, there is always a strong one and a weaker one; a more confident one and one who has more insecurities; one twin who feels more emotion than the other. I am not denying or forgetting that half of my genes come from my wonderful mother -- I can always recognize the traits I have inherited from her quite clearly. As I was listening to my uncle bear his soul, I couldn't help but look within myself to see the very same things in me that were in him.
I was able, over the course of the weekend, to dissect aspects of my personality to see where they came from. I am not an exact reproduction of anyone, in the same way my dad and uncle, although identical in physical characteristics, aren't replicas of each other. The more time I spend with my uncle, the more I see myself in his body language, his thought patterns, the issues that concern him, and I am able to understand him more, as well as my father. The older I get, the older and the more settled in their ways the twins get, I can appreciate them and love them all the more, and in turn, understand and love myself and all the raging contradictions that make me who I am.
In a way, this was a birth day for me, too...
