Only Follower I Worry About part 3, Perfect Brother

Manolo, Mauro, Raúl, Alex, and Birthday Boy (Javier) @ Fashion Institute of Technology Dorm Rooms

A small tradition in my blog every October 13th, 2012 is to write and dedicate one post to my younger brother Javier. My first post was on how I want to be a leader for him and the other one was on how he is a great parenting coach.

Since 2004 I have to say that at this time of year I am usually near or have been near my brother to spend at least a few days with him. It has been over a year that I hugged and kissed my brother I have to say I am longing for one of his bear hugs.

Today’s is my younger brother’s Javier’s Birthday and I would have loved being physically near him. Even more importantly getting a birthday hug and kiss from his niece while spending time with him would have been an awesome gift (even for me). I guess will have to use the magic of the Internet since my brother is in Connecticut and we are in Puerto Rico.

Being a fan of my brother makes me sometimes a bit angry when I can’t be as close to him as I wish. But reality is our interests are different; our lives grew apart, but he still has part of my heart.

My parents returned to Connecticut in 1998 and at that moment I stayed in Puerto Rico while my brother went with them. From that moment on spending time with my brother has equated to a few days a year. This year we are at zero days of spending time together and this is something difficult for me.

My battle this year is to stay close to my brother at least in spirit and heart by trying to get a hold of him on his busy schedule. He has the bad habit of his brother (me) of being a workaholic and forgetting other things need to be balanced.

I understand him completely because sometimes our responsibilities take charge of us.

In life we have to sacrifice something to be able to enjoy others. If I want to live near the beach and have my daughter grow up in my homeland, that means she is not going to be close physically to my younger brother.

I love my brother dearly I wish him the best. I want to see him succeed. Sometimes (or maybe most of the time) I am a pain in the butt. The only reason I act this way is because I want him to be better than me.

My brother’s qualities are ones I wish I could absorb from him. His way of dealing with people and leading a group is something I might not ever learn or be able to replicate.

As I look back and see how much I ask of my brother I realize that I really have to apologize because I ask so much of him. Sometimes I forget that I too have my faults.

My apologies Javi. You are an awesome human, great dad, remarkable son, cool co-worker, sweet grand-son, funny tio, and the perfect brother.

Some people might not agree that people are perfect but in my case you are the perfect brother for me.

Thanks for teaching me so much even when you might feel your not meeting my expectations. My love for you Javier is unconditional and I will always have you close to my heart and be here for you.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Hermanito!