My sister and I are identical twins. We were born two minutes apart, we have super similar interests, and I don’t think we’ve ever gone 24-hours without seeing each other. I’ve been experiencing the double-takes and curious questions my whole life. People just think it’s so cool to see two people who look the same walking around together (even though I don’t think we look super alike). I honestly love being a twin, and the pros will always outweigh the cons. But now, I want to answer the age-old question that everyone seems to want to know: What’s it like being a twin?
When people find out I’m a twin, they usually have some questions. There are the common ones, like who is older or who’s messier, which are pretty generic and not that interesting. There are some fun ones though, my favorite is when people ask if we’re telepathic. Here’s my answer: No, but also definitely yes. While we can’t technically communicate with our minds, we can get pretty close. When you’ve been with the same person since birth and have had virtually the same life experiences, you end up thinking the same way, having the same reactions, and even saying the same thing at the same time. When we were younger, we would actually convince our friends we were telepathic. We would come up with a list of words beforehand, and then amaze everyone when we could telepathically know what the other was thinking!
While being a twin is definitely a positive, there are a few downsides for sure. Some of the questions people ask are a little weird, like who’s smarter or who’s the “evil twin”? I can assure you, we are both doing just fine in school, and neither one of us is evil. It also isn’t the best feeling when people I’ve known for years still don’t know my name. I’ve gotten pretty used to it, though. In fact, I answer to my sister’s name just because it’s easier! I’ve had entire conversations with people who think I’m her, and they’ll never know the difference. People also tell us we should wear name tags, but that definitely sounds like wearing a dog collar, so no thanks.
There’s one more big question people want to know, and that’s whether or not we’ve ever switched places. Though we haven’t (I really don’t think we’d be able to pull it off because I, for one, wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face), we’ve still had some pretty funny twin moments. Once at summer camp, my counselor was convinced he was losing it when he yelled to me across the dining hall and then saw me sitting at another table on the other side of the room. Another time, my sister and I tied with the same exact score for overall placements at a dance competition, and it was hilarious to see the judges faces when we walked up together to get our awards.
So, there you have it, that’s what it’s like being an identical twin. I’m honestly so grateful that I’ve never had to face life’s big milestones alone, and it’s so comforting to know that I will always have someone in my corner. I know it’s cheesy, but it’s true. I really couldn’t imagine life any other way!