Amy Shackleford

ENG 303: This I Believe

November 20, 2014
Sisterhood: A Freak of Nature
Recently, I watched a news story about a 500 pound, full grown lion that had struck up an
unlikely friendship with an 11 pound dachshund. Normally, this lion would have devoured the
dog if he got anywhere near him. Better yet, the dachshund would have tucked its tail between its
legs and took off running as fast as its short little legs would carry him if he spotted the lion.
Somehow though, these two became best friends. Freaks of nature like the Lion and dachshund
do not happen often, but when they do, they are special. I think sisterhood is also a freak of
nature.
For example, when I was fourteen years old, my sister, Brooke, and I were outside
grooming her horse, Cocoa, when the horse suddenly nipped at me. I swatted her on the neck,
just to remind her to keep her teeth off of me, not expecting any consequences to come from that
one self-preserving action. But I could not have been more wrong. Out of the corner of my eye, I
watched an enraged eleven year old charge at me like a bull who has just seen red. Her fists she
held tightly to her sides, and while zoning in on them, I missed her foot hurling toward my shin,
backed by all one hundred pounds of my sisters quaint frame. This would have been a
wonderful defensive move if she had been wearing the proper footwear, boots for instance.
Unfortunately, she had on flip-flops, so when her foot made contact with my shin, it bounced off
ricocheting all that force right back into her own toes. Brooke broke her pinky toe that day, and
we didnt talk to one another for at least four hours. However, that night, laying in our twin beds
in the room we shared, we began giggling uncontrollably. Did that really just happen? I asked

sending Brooke and me both into another fit of laughter. It was then that I realized sisterhood is a
freak of nature.
In no other relationship could I have as many fights as I have had with my sister and still
actually like the person. She keeps me grounded. A regular friend would probably just go along
with whatever I am ranting about at any given moment, but not Brooke. Just the other day, I
accidentally cut off a car in traffic, and they swerved out around me blaring their horn. I
announced And the worst driving award goes to that guy right there. Brooke said, No, Amy I
think you would actually win this year. While of course, that comment made me mad at the
time, deep down I knew she was right. She holds me accountable when I want to blame someone
or something else for a problem, and I respect her for that.
Even with the fights we have from time to time, Brooke is my best friend. I tell her
everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly, yet she somehow still seems to like me. I believe the
bond we formed by living in the same house for so many years will never break, no matter where
life decides to take us. On those dark nights, when my parents were having one of their rare
fights, Brookes hand is the one I held tightly to, as we reassured one another that no matter what
happened we had each other. Thinking of moments like that help me to realize Im never alone; I
have my sister.
Long story short, sisterhood is odd, special even, like the dog and the lion who were best
friends. It has contributed to the individuals my sister and I have become today. After broken
bones, many tears, and countless giggles, I truly believe that a sisterhood endures forever. After
all, it is a freak of nature.