As I prepare to leave high school, I find myself thinking about who I want to become. Throughout my life people have taught me how to behave. These lessons have come from my parents, my teachers, and my sister. They have also come from Brendan.
When I was little, my family was good friends with the Borochs. Their youngest son Brendan has Down syndrome. I was best friends with Brendan. When we were children, our families did everything together. Brendan was the most energetic and enthusiastic kid on the playground. I was always laughing with him. Even at a young age I knew there was something wrong with him, but it never bothered me because he seemed so confident about himself. Society wants to make us think that we have to be perfect, with perfect lives, bodies, personalities. I don’t agree. Brendan is the reason why.
Brendan didn’t judge anyone. He didn’t know to care what people think. He used to run around the park screaming silly things like “foot in the house,” which meant Full House, his favorite show. No matter what he did he was always happy. He taught me (by example) that it is okay not to care what people think. Brendan has amazed me with all that he has accomplished in his childhood. Even though he struggled to learn in school, he graduated, had jobs, and participated in Special Olympics.
I can remember one time when my family had Brendan’s family over for a barbeque. My friend Amanda and I were playing upstairs in my room with Brendan. Amanda was not as comfortable with the situation because she was young and did not know Brendan’s condition that well. She didn’t understand it when he screamed without warning and made funny noises in our faces. She didn’t understand why he liked to take things. He pulled books off my shelves, toys from under my bed. He insisted on rooting through my movies. At one point, Brendan locked us in my room and would not let us out. I knew him well enough to know it was a joke and we were fine. Amanda, on the other hand, did not. She started crying. Watching her leave my house in tears, I felt terrible. I started to think she would never hang out with me again after this incident. I wish she understood Brendan the way I did. He was just trying to be silly, and those were the moments that made me love him even more.
The older I get, the more I see people judging others, like Amanda judged Brendan that night. To not judge others in this society is a really difficult thing to do. Because of this I thank Brendan for making me see what really matters. I know I will carry this with me for the rest of my life. A friend that can make you realize something so important in life is truly an amazing person. Brendan and I will forever be best friends.