twinkle

it's funny, a year ago i didn't know a single twin. and now, i'm friends with 4. and that's not two pairs either. it's 3 different sets of identical twin women. haley says i've been twinvaded. bring 'em on, i say.

i didn't really grow up with any siblings, so to say i have no point of reference is an understatement. of course, like most everyone, i wished for a twin when i was a kid. maybe only's wish for that more. then when i was pregnant, i was just crazy enough to hope for twins. (my two single births are certainly an example of god giving us just what we can handle, and no more.) but since then, i'd never really thought much about twins and didn't know what to expect when i was twinvaded.

when i first met mel, i thought she may be certifiably insane and the thought crossed my mind, 'if she's crazy.. then so is haley.. and i just haven't seen it yet.' as it turned out, she was just drunk. and so was haley. go figure.

the ways they are similar constantly surprise me because most of the time i have to remind myself they are 'identical.' in every external way, they look different to me. their mannerisms and expression and intonation - all very different. and then, in subtle ways i see parallels. and i'm reminded i'm in love with half of a pair, half of a pair that is inexplicably linked.

and that is how i see the twin factor. even more than a genetic match, it feels to me like a genetic continuum. as though there were so many amazing qualities and talents as to not be contained within one person, and so god had to create two. and the ones that overflow into haley alone are what make her unique and individual and... amazing. and the ones that are shared are what make her and mel close beyond belief.

and i love this about her.

i imagine that it's because she is a twin, she's so able to connect. i imagine it's because she's a twin, she's so intuitive. i imagine it's because she's a twin, she's such a communicator and a caretaker and a partner...

and those qualities, i treasure in her.

i think it's no coincidence that the word twinkle is rooted in twin. you only have to see me around the twin i love to understand why.

d: key lime pie from 6 feet under
b: full night of sleep + a nap + a workout!
g: a twin that's more than doubled the joy in my life