Sophie's Sentiments

“Hi, how are you?”          “It’s a pleasure to meet you!”           “Sorry for interrupting...” It was always engrained in my mind to say these things when I talked to someone, sort of like I was on auto pilot. Truthfully, there was never a genuine meaning behind saying these things because I was so accustomed to doing the same routine over and over again. I didn’t genuinely think “it’s nice to meet you” in my mind. Even if someone is genuinely happy to meet a person, saying that common phrase does not necessarily express their gratitude, it’s more of a habit they’re used to saying on command. I was told to ask people how they are doing so I would sound polite and mature. That was simply the main motive behind saying these things: not because I truly meant it, but rather because it showed my personality to the person I was meeting. Presenting myself this way made them have a positive first impression of me. Workin...

One sunny spring morning, I woke up and went outside to my backyard, where I found my niece and nephew playing on the grass. They were dressed in large winter jackets and hats, for it was still quite cold out. This fact did not disturb them. They played and ran and explored the outdoors. My nephew, who is nearly six, was holding a long tree branch that had fallen from the oak tree on the north side of our property. “I’m a squirrel catcher,” he told me and proceeded to jump up repeatedly with the stick aimed high toward the tree. Of course, from my perspective, there was no way he’d reach the small creature at the top of the tree, but he persisted nonetheless. He tried a running head start, only to fall short several hundred feet below the squirrel’s position. “He’s way up there. Do you see him?” my mother told him, but he ignored her comment. Observing this made me realize the innocence of being a child. My nephew realized there was no way he’d be able to touch the squirr...