When my sister was diagnosed with OCD, my life also changed. Every day can be a challenge because my sister is emotional about her OCD. She frequently locks and unlocks our front door ten times, and obsessively brushes her teeth for exactly three minutes. She is often very frustrated about her OCD and it’s hard for me to watch her go through something like that.
When I was younger, I wanted my sister to do her fair share of chores. I valued fairness and didn’t want to be stuck with her chores. When my parents told me I had to do her chores because of her OCD, my temperature would rise. I would get outraged. There were times when I would do her chores, but with half the effort. There were other times when I did not bother to do her chores at all. Either way, I couldn’t calm down because I was angry and frustrated.
New challenges were presented during my sister’s first year in college. Her fears of plagiarism arose. She became very meticulous, making sure she didn’t copy a sentence or phrase from another source. It would take hours and hours for my sister to finish her homework. There were nights where she would sleep with my mom so she could express her frustration. Since I sleep in the same room, I would hear her cry; my anxiousness grew and I could never comfortably go to sleep. Those challenges made me understand why I had to bear more responsibilities in our home. I saw the light.
My home was not a good place for me to study and finish my schoolwork. I needed to improvise and find new places and times for me to study. I used my free time during school to work on any schoolwork that I had. After school, I walked down to the library to finish any schoolwork that I needed to finish. When I arrived home, I didn’t have to worry about my schoolwork. I could focus on taking care of all my household responsibilities and conversing with my sister.
Caring means being selfless. I was more understanding of my sister and her struggles. Because of that, I became more patient. And because of my patience, I became a better listener and more open-minded. Whatever the challenges I must deal with in my life, I realize they are nothing compared to what others must face. Now I am not so quick to judge people based upon their actions. Many people are struggling to put food on the table for their families. Some people are homeless. Some people have a physical or mental disease or personally know someone with one. There’s another side to every person’s life, and at times, it’s pretty dark. I want to be a light to every person I meet because I may be the only light they have. I want to work and maybe lead nonprofit organizations that help the most vulnerable in our society.