Weddings and Warlocks

Before you read any further, you should know that there are two problems with the title of this post.

The first is that there is only wedding, so the plural of wedding was a misnomer.

And the second is that there is actually no mention of warlocks in any sentences in this post.

Except in the one that you just read.

I just wanted some alliteration and that's what came to mind.

Now that we've cleared that up, let's celebrate that fact that my dear little brother (known by his close friends as Yogurt, and by close friends, I mean just me) got MARRIED last week in Portland.

I thought I'd take this momentous occasion to celebrate what a great individual Logan is by sharing a few things Logan has taught me over the years.

1. The mundane can be beautiful. 

Logan is a master of creativity. He turns the normal into the beautiful and the boring into an adventure. I loved going on runs with Logan in high school because he took running as an opportunity to explore this grand world, whether that be climbing up rocks or climbing down into manholes on the street. He took forever to clean his room when he was younger (okay, probably now too) because he got distracted by all of the cool things that he found while tidying up! He has the grand ability to see things he's seen a million times like new objects. Logan has never been the guy who wants to be shoved in a box (a box of expected social constructs that is) and sees ordinary humans and things as extraordinary.

2. Feeling requires your whole soul.

When I was 17, I wrote in my journal, "I have the emotional capacity of a teaspoon compared to Logan." Don't worry, I've come far since my repressed teenage days. But Logan has always leaned fully into his feelings, even when they are painful. When our first dog died, Logan was 11 years old, and despite not actually liking our dog that much, he spent approximately 4.7 hours as a professional wailer, sobbing and crying out our dog's name (picture an elderly Polynesian woman trapped in a tween's body yelling "MUDDLES!!!!! *gasping for breath* "GAHH MUDDLES!!" while flailing around in his bed). Funny story that demonstrates a profound gift; when Logan is happy, he is ECSTATIC. When Logan is sad, he is DEVASTATED. He doesn't shy away from feelings that so many people feel the need to repress or tame. This is a rare gift of embracing vulnerability.



3. You don't have to be like the people you love. 

Logan and I had a solid year of passively and sometimes actively fighting each other and critiquing the other's lifestyle (and by that I mean it was mostly me telling Logan he shouldn't wear basketball shorts to school every day and it wouldn't hurt to smile in the hallways). Many years of being good friends followed this and I now greatly appreciate Logan's authenticity. For a while, I wanted him to be more like me so I could understand him better because I thought I understood myself. But Logan has been one of the most important people in teaching me to appreciate diversity in thought, dreams, actions, and being. I don't need to make someone like me in order to love them. I don't need to be like someone else in order for them to love me. Logan and I are different. And that is good. 

I'm super stoked for my brother. He married a girl who is different than he is (because #beingindividual). He married a girl who understands and matches him in so many ways. 

It's a good day when your brother is telling you that he's met the girl of his dreams and that even though life is going to be hard, he's so happy to have a bright, funny, empathetic partner facing all of it with him.
And it's going to be great to see him share his many gifts with her.

Cheers to Logan and Cecilia. 

May you have many happy days together and may you continue to teach me and others about what's important in life.