Reader's Digest

Sophie and the Chicks

- —Emily Chromczak Delmar, New York

SHE WAS VERY UPSET WHEN WE WOULDN’T LET THE CHICKS SLEEP IN HER BED.

From the moment my husband brought home a box of six chicks from Tractor Supply Company at the start of the pandemic, our nineyear-old, Sophie, hasn’t let them out of her sight. She named them Trixie, Bearty, Sweet Pea, Speedie, Captain Flint, and Adrian. (We were reading

and watching Treasure Island Rocky at the time.) And she was very upset when we wouldn’t let the chicks sleep in her bed (though we did relent one camping trip when they were allowed to sleep in a box in her tent).

Sophie takes at least one chicken everywhere we let her and has had incredible adventures with her flock: camping, hiking, river tubing, biking, riding scooters, sledding, crosscount­ry skiing, and trick-or-treating. The reactions from neighbors on Halloween were hilarious. “Wait, is that a real chicken you’re holding?” Trixie cooed the whole time. On Christmas,

Sophie made each chicken a tiny stocking filled with oats and clay ornaments with their footprints pressed into them. Sophie’s favorite gifts were a Chicken Whisperer shirt and socks that look like chicken feet.

The chickens were not allowed in the house until one morning after virtual school when Sophie told me, “There’s nothing to feel happy about.” Since then, we’ve allowed one inside at a time, provided Sophie immediatel­y cleans up after the visit.

One night, Bearty was snuggled up in a towel on my lap as I cuddled Sophie in my arms. We petted Bearty as she cooed and slowly closed her eyes. The chickens brought a glimmer of joy back to our lives. In a few short months, they’ve taught us to accept situations we can’t change and find joy where we can. I am so grateful.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States