I remember this hot summer day, I felt frustrated sitting in my sister’s living room.
The windows were open, allowing hot, humid air from outside to enter despite the air conditioning being on full blast.
It was an odd combination that gave me the creeps. My sister and I always saw things differently. While she was carefree, I was responsible. She was more daring than I was. As adults, our difference was still evident, especially in areas like air conditioning. I tried to convince her that running the air conditioner with the windows open was inefficient. It was like trying to cool a room with the door open. My sister shrugged and said it helped her. She liked the fresh air, despite the fact that it made the air conditioner work harder. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was really just how she was. Even if it was unconventional, she did things her way. She ran her own election with herself as the only candidate back in high school. I was used to following the rules overall in life. My sister, however, appeared to abide by her own set of rules. It was simultaneously energizing and frustrating. After some time, I was no longer able to handle it. I wanted to make sure that the air quality of the house was still good. So, I got up and checked the air filter. It was pretty dirty and I thought about our childhood and all the times my sister did things her way as I cleaned the air filter. I still want to make sure things are clean in this house but she has appeared to have been this way forever, so she probably will always be this way. She is family, we have differences, and I have to be ok with that.