Old Souls & Lemonade
Most of us are familiar with the term “old soul,” but how many of us understand what it means? Are there ways to identify these people, and what if you actually live with one?
Reetu Ahuja is convinced her 11 year old daughter, Sofia, is an old soul. Furthermore, she insists it’s a pure blessing to live with her.
“We have a large, multicultural family and we all have animals,” Reeta said. “My sisters-in-law always have animals around them. All of us have animals as parts of our family and household. Animals are the reason Sofia wanted to have the lemonade stand. Her intention, from the very beginning, was to donate all the money she made to the Flower Mound Adoption Center.”
Sofia’s compassion is front and center when it comes to the animal kingdom. She aches to help them but, when you’re only 11, there aren’t a lot of options. She wanted to host a lemonade stand in her Flower Mound neighborhood last year. When her plans didn’t come together, she decided to delay until 2025.
Her brain continued working. “We decided to expand by adding chips and some of my handmade bracelets,” Sofia said. “We scheduled it for just before the start of the 2025 school year. Mom and dad helped me set everything up at the elementary school, just a short way from my house. Mom put out an on-line announcement and some of my friends helped. We were able to give the Flower Mound Adoption Center more than $200.”
“Wanting to help the animals is a part of what makes Sofia the person she is – a kind and loving soul,” Reeta said. “She wants to help and to contribute to life. She also loves elderly people. She seeks them out, serves them, and listens to their stories. She remembers those stories two years later and re-shares them. That just isn’t typical behavior for an 11-year-old, but she’s very mature for her age. That’s a rule-of-thumb for most old souls.”
Everything Reetu described is definitely typical of an old soul and, since Reetu taught school for 15 years, she’s well-qualified to recognize the type.
It is truly an adventure to share a conversation with Sofia. Her vocabulary. Her enthusiasm. Her willingness to share personal details and insights into a variety of situations.
“My dad [Sam Sharma] decided to double whatever amount of money we made with the lemonade, chips, and jewelry,” Sofia said. “I thought that was very generous of him. At first, I thought the adoption center would use the money we raised to buy things such as toys or blankets, but I was so much happier when they told me it would go for spay, neuter, vaccines, and other medical projects. Toys are great, but their good health will get them adopted faster than toys and blankets.”
Sofia says she’s grateful to all the people from Flower Mound who came to the stand — not because they were dying for some lemonade — but because they just really wanted to make a donation. “Something like that goes straight to my heart,” Sofia said.
“Working with shelter animals isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. I was given a tour of the shelter, and each animal was different. They were all at different places on their journeys. Some were obviously terrified. I could see it in their eyes and bodies. And this happens even in a shelter with pretty good community support, such as Flower Mound.”
Sofia’s already planning for what she can do next to help the animals. “I’m an only child in a really big family. That means I’m given way too many gifts at Christmas, birthdays, and other occasions. Everything is always extremely nice but it’s too much. I don’t even use some of it. So since my family is so large, I intend to ask family and friends to give things for shelter animals. I think the response will be beautiful and I’m already excited.”
Sofia shares a special bond with her father. They both love animals, and they’re both intrigued by numbers. Her dad is very successful in his chosen field of finance. Sofia plans to follow in his footsteps.
“Dad has taken such good care of me and my mom, and he’s always there for other family members,” Sofia said. “We do things together, and take several mini vacations through the year. I want to do the same things for my family, and I think some kind of career in the field of finance will let me do that. In the meantime, I have plenty of time to continue helping animals.”
And those, dear readers, are just a few of the elements that make an old soul an old soul. Is it any wonder her mother says she’s a blessing?
