A to the K

My brother, Kyle, is misunderstood.

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The people that have interacted with him, no matter what era of his life, seem to always put him in a box based on his talents and abilities.

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Our parents do it, I do it even.

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But Kyle can’t be put into a box…..

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He’s the life of EVERY party.

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People idolize him and hang on his every word.

Insightful and experienced; Kyle has perspective that, I would argue, not many people in this world will ever have.

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He’s been on endless adventures, worked in a multitude of jobs, has lived, and loved, and done everything in between.

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This blog is mostly for him, but it’s also for you to know the person I admire. The person I want approval from. The person who I HAVE ALWAYS seen. But a lot of the world just doesn't quite get.

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Kyle and I are three years apart. When he was little, he used to mumble. And it was me who translated for him. He didn’t walk for a long time……because I drug him around as a baby to play with me and my friends. This is when we forged an unbreakable bond.

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Kyle has ALWAYS done what he wants on HIS TIME.

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In September of 1990 my life changed when one of my best friends was born.

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My grandma, Nina (my mom’s mom), was watching over me as my dad frantically moved about the house. My mom, holding her belly and going into labor, calmly looked at me and my grandma and said “Ok…..we’re going to have a baby now.” (As I was playing at the coffee table with my toys I remember saying) “ok!” and went back to playing.

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I cried when I got to the hospital.

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Not because my brother was born, but because I had to wear a stupid gown to hold MY BROTHER. “I just want to hold him.” I remember thinking, maybe saying (I don’t know I was 3 years old).

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Kyle and I lost touch for a bit when I was at Dillon Middle School (DMS) and he was in elementary school. But by the time we attended Beaverhead County High School (BCHS) in Dillon, MT together, we came back around. Me as a senior, he as a freshman, I remember going to school, running late, and having our heads out of the window driving as the windshield defrosted during the winter.

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I never meant for it to be negative, but in true de Golia fashion, I made a name for myself at BCHS. Kyle was known as “Alex’s little brother.” Which I know he took pride in and also hated.

It was after I graduated that he did, in true de Golia fashion, make a name for HIMSELF. And he did it HIS WAY. ?And since then, he’s NEVER not made a mark in every setting. Whether it be Washington State University in Pullman, The Exploratorium in San Francisco, Pacific Science Center in Seattle, the Denver Zoo, being the ‘Director of First Impressions’ at Xero in Denver, moving to Toronto, Canada, or being a Bartender in the Ballard area of Seattle, Kyle has always been……. ‘that guy.’

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I’m 5’5” and Kyle is 5’9.” He’s athletic, and despite my accolades in football and sports, is the better athlete in my opinion. I make music for fun, and despite my skills, he’s the musician in the family. I’m creative, and a phrase I've always said; “if you I think I’m creative, you should see my brother."

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We were both Prom Kings at BCHS but for very different reasons. Yet…….the same reasons....

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Kyle and I are all we had as family growing up. My dad, and his side of the family, are all San Francisco/Bay Area based, and my mom, and her side of the family, are either in the Denver, CO area or in the South.

Our parents struck out on their own away from their families early in life. And, as much as we hate to admit it, WE are the same as them in terms of striving to be unique and do things our own way.

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“I’ve never met two people so different and yet…. are exactly the same.”

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Is the phrase we’ve heard more times, in different variations, than not. Genetically, we come from the same two parents. He with blue eyes, dark thick hair, and the tallest in our family. And me, with brown eyes, thin wispy blonde/brown hair, and short. Different (exactly the way the way we want) but the same (exactly the way we want).

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Eric, the Homies, and Kiwi are BIG reasons I am the way I am. But before all of them came Kyle.?

If you’re feeling lost. It’s ok.

If you’re looking for more. It’s ok, keep looking.

If you’re standards are high. It’s ok, keep striving for more.

If you feel like you have to “live up to” standards that others set for you. Don’t.

If you feel misunderstood. You are and that’s ok. As a matter of fact, it’s perfect.

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Know that you’re loved. You’re admired. You are already living the life people wish they could and never will be able to. Your stories and experiences ARE unique.

But also, relax. Keep being you. Take the outside pressure off. It’s all going to work out. And it’s going to work out EXACTLY the way it’s supposed to.

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Love you bra,

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Alex