Reflection prompt #4

Considering the ways early lessons and experiences shape the way we navigate conflict

When I was about seven, I was playing with a group of friends down by the creek. Most of us were building a fort near the water’s edge while a couple of the boys fished.

One of the boys, who lived across the road from me and whose father was my school’s principal, caught a small fish. After removing the hook, he held the small fish in the palm of his hand, letting it flop around. Several others joined him, laughing as the fish gasped and thrashed. A girl told him to put it back in the water because it was too small to do anything with. He refused. The laughter continued.

I walked up behind him and saw the struggling little fish. Without a second thought, I swung my arm upward so that the palm of my hand hit the underside of his upturned hand, sending his open hand up into the air.