Today is my brother Craig’s 31st birthday. It is also my 36th birthday. Weird, right?! What kind of nuclear timing did my parents have going on? Here’s the other thing. We were born at almost the same time. I was at born at 10:56 a.m. and Craig was born at 11:07 a.m. I know!

When I tell people about this coincidence, they usually say something about how it must have sucked having to share the spotlight on our birthday or how we only got half as much cake as we should have. But really, it was just the opposite. Our birthday always felt bigger than just a birthday. More like a holiday with a big build-up, grandparents coming in from out of town, and two cakes. Always two cakes.

The specialness carried over into our adult lives too. We’ve always made it a point to try to see each other around the 18th, even if we were living hundreds of miles apart. Ten years ago, Craig traveled from upstate New York to be with me in Charlotte, NC for our birthday. He was turning 21 and I was turning 26 and somehow, we managed to end our drunken evening embroiled in a spectacular full-on bar brawl. Craig and Jill vs. the bouncers of the most ironically named bar in the history of bars, Have A Nice Day Cafe. As Craig says, “We got gaffled!” I was on crutches for a week. Really. But, that’s a post for another day.

Hope you Had A Nice Day today, little brother. I love you.