Monday, May 12, 2014

Which one are you?

On Saturday, I was introduced to someone that had known Michelle for a while. He asked a rather innocent question while making small talk--"Besides the glasses, what are the other differences between you?" I honestly had a hard time coming up with answers, despite 30 years (gross!) of lamenting the lack of a singular identity. The first things that come to mind are physical, as I think that's how we tend to describe others:
  • I'm 3/4 of an inch taller
  • Michelle's hair is usually lighter than mine
  • The cat eyes
  • I'm left-handed
Then I really had to think. We joke that the other one is more competitive (but really she is). Other than that:
  • Michelle's brain holds an obscene amount of useless trivia, beer names, movie actors, and song lyrics
  • She is a better (or perhaps just more intentional) cook than I am
  • I have more discerning literary tastes
  • She's the bigger shopper
  • I need more sleep
  • She drinks WAY more coffee
  • She always has KYGO on and I more often than not enjoy quiet in the car
  • I'm better with kids (but it's a hazard of the job)
  • She is more disciplined with keeping resolutions (you wouldn't find me running a half-marathon)
  • And...I'm done
It's funny that I have to think this hard about it. We have way more in common, obviously, but I also feel like when you're a twin, comparison invites competition, and I'm just not that interested in it anymore. No one would ask two unrelated friends to name the better singer, or the faster runner, or the smarter--you just know that they are separate people without having to pit them against one another. In fact, it's not really that different with us; when people ask how to tell us apart, I think, "Well, I'm me, and she's not." That's a pretty big difference.

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