Sophie

One of my first memories of Sophie was when she was still a baby. She had been left alone in the kitchen for only a few minutes. Last seen, she was happily playing with her toys. The suspicious silence raised an alarm that something was not right. Big understatement. Sophie had somehow got into a large bag of baking flour. Grandma’s kitchen was obscured by a thick fog that was being generated by Sophie’s merry tossing of the flour into the air. Everything was covered in flour - everything. It took hours of cleaning to restore the kitchen and another hour of bathing to clean Sophie and get the flour out of her hair. This is my first memory of Sophie. Sophie is now eight years old and has not changed a bit.

Sophie is a dog. Sophie is a dog’s dog. Sophie is THE dog. Sophie is a one hundred and five pound Bouvier Des Flandres. Sophie is mischievous. Sophie is always in trouble. I had an epiphany last night - Sophie has life totally figured out.

I have watched this dog with fascination. She is not a typical dog, of that there is no doubt. Sophie is constantly in trouble but somehow she is okay with that. Like any dog Sophie is eager to please, however not at the expense of her ideals. Sophie is a firm believer in certain things and she would never compromise her ideology in order to make an impression on someone. Therefore Sophie will chase the squirrels, she will tease the cats, she will sleep on the furniture, and she will steal my food. She seizes every moment of every day. I even find myself watching her when she sleeps. The dog is a world class sleeper. I have never seen anything sleep so sound. She is always in the moment.

Sophie excels at life. Sophie loves herself and absolutely loves being a dog. The first time Sophie visited Silent River Kung Fu, she spent the first half hour prancing back and forth in front of the mirrors admiring herself (heavily damaging the mats with her Bouvier weighted claws in the process - another story for another time). How can one not be inspired by that self confidence? Can each of us look at ourselves in the mirror and honestly say that we love that person? Most of us can’t really say that we even truly know that person. We spend an extraordinary amount of time every day trying to hide our flaws and portray an image that is more defined by what we think others expect rather than showing who we truly are. Do we even realize how much stress this facade creates for us? Imagine a life where you know and love yourself so completely that you have no inhibitions about showing exactly who you are to the world and where you are completely accepted as this person. Sophie lives this life.

Kung fu teaches us more about ourselves every day. As we learn more about ourselves we learn to face our flaws and either accept them as part of who we are or strive to eliminate them. Self confidence is gained through this self realization. When you truly understand yourself, you will respect, accept, and love yourself.

A life can be dictated by personal beliefs and ideals, uninfluenced by peer pressure and the fear of being labeled an outcast. This is Sophie’s life. She is the most honest, pure soul I have ever met and I love her.

"There is a great deal of unmapped country within us which would have to be taken into account in an explanation of our gusts and storms."
- George Eliot (1819 - 1880)