Advice from my Older Brother

Ah, Sunday nights. The weekend is almost over and a new work week is about to begin. I used to dislike Sunday evenings to such an extent that I would work myself into a state of anxiety and extreme upset about the week ahead. A lot of that came down to hating the job that I had at the time and dreading going into work the next day, but it also had to do with a general feeling of unhappiness with my life that I simply don't have anymore. Now, I kind of like Sunday nights. I like to reflect on the weekend and plan for the week before me. Small changes can completely alter ones perceptions --that concept continues to be reinforced in my life.

Today I had a lazy, slow wakeup and then spent the afternoon with my stepbrother, Jeff, who was up from Calgary for the day. My dad and his mom starting dating when I was 15 or 16 and Jeff was the cool, older brother that I always wished that my real brother had been. Jeff is six years older than me but he has always treated me like a friend who cares about my thoughts and feelings. These days, we don't see each other all the time or even talk all that often, but there is a closeness between us that I really appeciate. Our relationship tends to be one filled with silliness and mutual mockery of one another but today over a pint of beer he momentarily got serious and told me that he had a small piece of advice for me. Earnestly, he said that the greatest lesson he's learned is to stop listening to his head and, instead, tries to always follow his heart. He told me that if I continued to do what feels right in my heart then I would always find my way in the world. It's not like I've never heard anyone else say that before, but it meant a lot to hear him say that and it resonated with me for hours afterwards.