And now, for the one who made me a middle child. You know I’d love to stay here and brood on that for a while, but many of you seem to find my birth order bitterness to be distasteful. I’ve been chewing that middle child resentment cud for almost 40 years and I find it delicious.

In truth, as you take in the views of these wonderful people with whom I share roots, you’ll quickly realize I have no grounds for resentment.

If you’ve been following this Aspen Grove of mine, you’ll remember Adam. Adam Robert Hershey, the one who scarcely escaped the Butt-First Bandit attack. If you’re not familiar, go read the post about Julie.

So far I’ve been able to pin up a metaphor to represent each individual from my perspective: Sarah—an African Violet, Wes—a lighthouse, Julie—a solar lamp.

But is there an adequate metaphor for my younger brother? 

Adam’s like Swedish infrastructure, he’s sound and efficient. No, that’s too much high-brow sophistication for Adam. 

Let me try again. Adam is a precise accounting ledger, stable and reliable. No, he’s not that boring.

He’s a tie clip, he’s put together and timeless. I can’t use this one, Adam has way too many tank tops in his wardrobe to be considered classic and timeless.

Adam’s a bridge. Yes this is the one. Adam is a bridge. But a bridge with contemporary architecture. Yes, and the bridge fulfills its purpose well because it connects a wide variety of people. Oh, and the bridge is never down for construction or maintenance, it just quietly does what it is supposed to. This bridge has the perfect amount of clear signage that helps you get exactly where you’re going. The traffic pattern is so safe and comfortable. And lastly, this bridge just wants you to enjoy your journey. It’s not trying to rack up all the bridge accolades, it doesn’t need to be known as the longest or the oldest. It doesn’t want you making a big deal about it; we can just agree it’s the best bridge! 

It’s humbling when as the older brother, I realize my younger brother carries more of the wise and leading “older brother” persona than I do.

For example:

I had just received a huge styrofoam airplane for my 12th birthday. You could throw it and it would glide for days. Adam and I ran out to the front yard and were enjoying launching it to each other across the property. One thing styrofoam doesn’t handle well is wind. I threw it to Adam, a gust of wind sent it abruptly off course and directly in the path of a huge truck, barreling down the street at 55 mph. It was one of those jacked up trucks with six wheels. You know the ones, where your sleeves must be cut off your shirt in order to drive it.

This truck obliterated my plane and threw styrofoam everywhere, like we were inside a shaken snow globe. For some reason, my initial response was fear. I ran inside and locked myself in my room. I was scared this sleeveless, cornfed monster of man was going to come after the owner of that styrofoam plane. The worst part is that I encouraged my little brother to follow me in my fear. Adam’s cautious, but not irrationally. If it wasn’t for me he probably wouldn’t have fled from conflict. He wouldn’t have made assumptions about someone based on the car they drive, although I’m fairly certain this trucker owner’s arms have never been covered by sleeves. That truck driver never did come hunt me down. And thankfully, Adam never did learn my example of cowering.   

Similar to him being a bridge over unpassable land, Adam is a “Get-To” Guy. He sees opportunity in everything and rarely acts out of obligation with a “have-to” attitude. Let me provide some examples of how Adam has done this through his life.

“I get to save money and set up my future by earning credits at a community college before going off to a university.”

“I get to antagonize my older siblings.”

“I get to build relationships and support my coworkers.”

“I get to coach my son’s soccer team when no other parents offered.”

“I get to protect and provide for my family.”

This attitude of gratitude is why I’ve never seen Adam overtaken by life’s circumstances or even having the slightest experience of defeat. 

He’s always been interested in family history and has been quick to ask parents and grandparents questions about their life. Adam’s always been intrigued by how our ancestors have dealt with their trials and difficulties. There’s a study that’s shown a strong correlation between a child’s understanding of their family history and that person’s emotional well-being.

Sometimes, if you’re extremely fortunate, you’re blessed with a younger sibling that becomes a model and example for his elder. Thanks Adam, you make my life better!