You Are My Cheeseburger

Practice College Admissions Essay
Written for Advanced Composition October 11, 2007

Discuss an important personal relationship you have had and explain how it has changed your life.

The cheeseburger I ate for lunch, a poem I wrote in fifth grade, my bedroom: all these things are part of what I am. However, they are not who I am. The food I eat, the work I produce, and the environments I create do not begin to describe, outline, or explain the complex conglomeration of compounds that compose my being. I am more than beef, ink, and paint.

I suppose the best way to discover the truth of my existence is to examine the relationships I have with those who are closest to me. A prime example: my sister, Victoria. She is two years and four months older than I am. She is shorter, more fair skinned, and curvier than I. She is bossy, loud, clueless, and occasionally obnoxious. I love her more than I love any other person on the planet. She is my best friend, my closest confidante, and my biggest fan. We can talk for hours and hours and hours. We can discuss any topic in detail, no matter how disturbing or distressing. She and I argue a lot, but we’re usually on the same side; our debates are like entries in a verbal slam book on the subjects of our choice. My sister is the biggest investment I have made in my life, and the profit has been immense. She makes it worth my while.

Life with Victoria isn’t always so peachy, though. We have our disagreements, but we learned a long time ago that it is by no means worth the time or effort to hold a grudge. We love each other too much to prolong the suffering of a fight.

“Why can’t you just do me a favor?” Victoria tries to make it seem so simple and obvious, really she’s just trying to send me on a guilt trip.

“It’s not my responsibility, why should I have to? I shouldn’t have to spend my time doing this.” I’ve made up my mind already; I’m not going on any trips right now. Though superficial, the disagreement hurts both of us. However, the pain doesn’t last long: an hour later, we’re watching a movie together and laughing like a couple babies being tickled.

There’s a lot of messy business in our lives that leads to harsh words, but we have recovered from each situation. Forgiveness is the soap that washes our relationship’s dirty hands. We wash those hands a lot.

My hands would be pretty filthy if I didn’t have a sister. Disputes with friends would be uglier and last longer. Thinking about it now, I have never had a major fight with any friend. The only unkind words exchanged are those of minor disagreements or misunderstandings. The strength of my relationship with Victoria and the understanding between us has acted as a buffer for the grievances of interactions with other people. It has stopped me – I’m sure – from hurting the people I love. The long-term lesson of forgiveness has helped lead me down the path towards maturity; it has helped all my other relationships grow deeper and remain healthier.

My sister is much more than a cheeseburger; she’s part of who I am, in a very big way.