How My Brother’s Trust in Me Taught Me To Trust Myself

Posted: July 31, 2016

Trusting in someone is not a question of one great experience, but of a lifetime of walking together.

Four decades and still going strong; that is how I would sum up my bond with my brother. I know how rare it is to find such faith and friendship in our lives. My brother is my comrade in arms, my partner in mischief, and the all-time fall guy for our many escapades together.

While I have often taken him for granted, the truth is – he is my hero. There exists a stereotype of the serious, over bearing, strict older brother – generally, he is supposed to be the guy one tiptoes around. However, this is an alien I have never met!

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I started writing this note after watching this Exide Life Insurance #DhoniKaSaath video – which led me to think of the one person who has always been there for me, all my life. After all, the kind of trust that we are talking about here does not just ‘happen’ in a moment, but has been built through a lifetime of being there for me, through the good times and the terrible ones. After all, we’re talking about trust in the long term- Lamba saath, bharose ki baat.

My brother cooked for me and taught me to cook, ensuring that I loved cooking as much as I love eating. He braved my culinary disasters too! Ultimately, the fact that he was so confident in me, helped me find my own feet, in the kitchen or elsewhere.

Everyone needs that one person in his or her life who offers unconditional, unending support. For me, that person has been my brother, the solid backup I needed for any fall. My brother is not just an excellent driver but trusted that I could be one too. I now motivate my friends telling them that they must know how to drive – the first step to freedom and independence because he taught me its importance and trusted in my abilities.

From the aimless drives we took ‘just because’ to the drive to my wedding, the drives to happy spots and sad ones – the journey has been splendid since the company is marvelous.

Even though I may shout at him at the most inopportune times and sometimes don’t call him for days on end, whenever we speak I feel his love. Over four decades of this relationship, my brother has been my reading partner, my introduction to the best music, the hottest pop stars, the ‘must read’ best sellers and the dirty books too. What more can a girl ask for if her brother tells her all about the guy stuff, dating and the best joints to have a good time! Together, we have been drinking buddies too.

Everyone needs a sounding board for all their silly plans and that’s been my brother too – listening to my half-baked ideas with a patient ear. His very presence calms me down, and the fact that someone trusts me to do well inspires me to do well.

We have all possibly met people in our lives that are around for the good times, but make for a terrible companion in the bad times. Even having a sibling is not a guarantee of having a life-long confidante and cheerleader.

I know that I am truly blessed to be able to trust and bank on someone throughout my life – as someone who has been on a fantastic ride until now, I can only wait eagerly for the rest of this wonderful journey together!