I can't help it, he's my role model.

It was Sunday, September 20, 2015. I was visiting my parents, as I often do on Sundays. When he's there, I always show up. I respond every time. If he's there for the weekend, i often get a text on Friday evening. He tells my mom, "Text her this 'Go Dodgers! Come see me. your brother". And I respond, "Go Dodgers! I'll be there on Sunday." If I listen hard, I can hear him exclaim from 30 miles away "Yessssssss!!! She's coming!"

When I show up, he is waiting for me. He used to wait all weekend but now he knows I come after church and usually after they have eaten lunch. If he's had a rough day, and is in a bad mood, then he won't be there but if it's any other kind of day--average, fare, borderline, meh, good, great--then he is the first to see me and announce my arrival. Before I even open my car door, he opens the front door and yells, "It's about time you got here! Hi sister! Go Dodgers sister! Here's a cold one! Here you go sister! A nice cold pepsi!!" In the time it took me to turn my car off, grab my purse, and get out of my car, he had already seen me, gotten, up, gone to the fridge, grabbed a can of pepsi, run to the front door, flung it open, and started celebrating my arrival. 

He doesn't do greetings half way. He either ignores you and disappears into his room or he mauls you with excitement. 

He used to open the can of pepsi for me but, after years of yelling at him for that, he finally stopped. What can I say, I felt strongly about opening my own soda.

So back to September 20, 2015. I wasn't sure yet but I was getting closer to making the decision to stop drinking soda. What would that do to me? How would he react? I could think of a million excuses not to stop. But I found myself floating the idea out there to my parents that day. He was in the room but I didn't think he was listening. I said, "I think I need to stop drinking pepsi." I felt myself cringe in anticipation of--I don't know what--a bad reaction, a mournful reaction, something else that would make it harder for me to stop and validate my excuses. I think just the act of saying out loud was made it more real in a way that sacred me a little. I knew I'd been dragging my feet as I searched for an excuse to build a foundation on. I even thought that since this might be hard for him, maybe I shouldn't do it. I was getting altruistic in my desperation! 

Then he made a simple statement that, looking back, closed the door on all my excuses. He said, "Drink water! It's healthier!" And just like that, the deal was done. I was at the end of the road of reasons to keep my habit. The next day I had my last drink of pepsi. 

It's been almost 9 months since that pivotal day. And as I've pulled up to my parents house, I still hear, "It's about time you're here!!" 

It was this experience piled on top of many others that I realized, I can't help it, he's my role model.