Tree Hugger

Last week in my advertising creativity class, our professor asked us to think about a time when we had been wrong. We have all been wrong at some point, but what came to my mind was the trouble we can get ourselves into by jumping to conclusions, or assuming something about a person based on first impressions or observation. It is easy to look at a person and presume you know their background, who might be in their social circle, or their occupation. This is a natural human tendency, but in no way is it right.

On another one of my Katy trail adventures (I promise I don't go on it every day of my life...) I tensed up with I saw a man up ahead of me take a running leap onto the incline off of the side of the trail. As I neared the point where I watched him enter the foliage, I felt myself becoming nervous, as if he was planning on jumping out from the bushes and attacking me. I hesitantly looked up to check for an impending leap, but was taken aback to see him with his back turned to me, staring intently at a fallen tree. Confused by my unnecessary tension, I continued on my run. When I reached my turnaround point, I looked up to see none other than the man I had previously tried to avoid, striding in my direction with the fallen tree slung over his shoulder, a huge grin plastered on his face. As I crossed paths with Mr. Tree-Rescuer, we exchanged a wave and a big smile, and continued on our ways.

Let me just say, that was the last thing I was expecting, and I couldn't stop laughing for the next mile or so as I replayed the scenario in my head. After the initial novelty of what I had just witnessed wore off, I realized that I should be disappointed with myself. By jumping to conclusions about a man I knew nothing about, I passed a form of negative judgment that he did not deserve. No one deserves to be put in a category, unless of course they ask to be placed there. To pass any sort of judgment on someone or something does nothing but increase close-mindedness and discourage human interaction and experience. Looking back, I wish I had stopped him and asked what he was planning on doing with his new (potentially decorative) piece of shrubbery.

今日は (konnichi wa)

In case you were curious, the phrase above is none other than an afternoon greeting in Japanese, and how appropriate, it being 5:00 on a rather amusing Friday afternoon. The Japanese language breezes in and out of my mind from time to time, reminiscent of my elementary school education (Japanese lessons were incorporated into our daily schedule). Learning the language did not seem out of the ordinary to me at the time, but looking back, strikes me as pretty unique. It's funny the specifics you remember from childhood... I mean, hey, I can still count up to 100 in Japanese...sweet.

My name is Sarah Escherich, I am a junior advertising major (hopefully on the creative track) and human rights minor at none other than Southern Methodist University in lovely Dallas, Texas. Originally from San Clemente, California, I may be a long way from home, missing the ocean and my hiking trails, but Dally, as I like to call it, has become my unexpected home-away-from-home. I have been called many things as a foreigner to the great state of Texas, hippie, gypsy, and Shlarah being my most common titles. Granted, my chosen mode of transportation is a sea-foam-green beach cruiser, complete with dangle-y handlebar covers, and tires currently in need of inflation, but I didn't expect the hippie card to be pulled on me so suddenly. I may be quite a bit more liberally inclined than the average SMU student, consider myself to harbor an open mind, and enjoy Austin's music festivals...okay so I may, in fact, be a new-age hippie, but labeling and stereotypes are not my cup of tea.

At home, I am a surfer, a surf instructor, an employee of Girl in the Curl Surf Shop, a dedicated volleyball player, a hiking enthusiast, a beach bum. While I am here, I enjoy perusing the funkyness of Dallas that has yet to be explored by the masses (shout-out to Dolly Python, Lula B's, South Side on Lamar, Crooked Tree, and Art is Art... my personal favs). I like to cruise around town on my bike, especially along the Katy trail, and explore every detour that I can find. I love sitting on the grass at the big park off of McFarlin and watching the water spout thing-a-ma-jig in the pond sway back and forth. I am a big fan of the Meadows dance program (secretly wish I could dance) and I try to attend every single performance, my lovely dancing friends can attest to that. I love stumbling upon a piece of spare charcoal in the studios at Meadows and "sketching" on whatever I can find. These are things that may make me different from some, but at the same time similar to others.

To quote one of my best friends, Zoe Weintraub, who is currently studying abroad in Paris, "as people (and as individuals) we tend to look for distinctions, differences, our own exceptional qualities that make us stand out from the rest instead of 'chercher les memes chose' looking for the same things, the things that unite us, the commonalities."