Volume LVII

I. Cinderella Story 👠

Most of us are familiar with Cinderella. Or, at the very least, have heard of her glass slipper.

For those who need a quick refresher (guilty as charged), here’s the TLDR: a young woman is mistreated by her stepfamily, but with a little magical help she meets a prince, marries him, and escapes her life of anguish.

Adapted from that tale, a Cinderella story came to mean any situation where the overlooked or underestimated win against the odds.

So when an 11-seed makes a run to the Final Four, that qualifies — no glass slipper required.

As for our early Cinderella call in High Point… not exactly the tough upbringing of Cinderella when you’ve got etiquette classes and a mock airplane cabin for business encounters. Seriously, look it up.

II. Sophomore 📗

We treat it like a milestone. Second year of high school, second album, second season. But the word itself is Greek: “sophos” meaning wise, “moros” meaning foolish.

A sophomore is, by definition, a wise fool. Someone who knows just enough to be dangerous. The Greeks looked at the second year of anything and said: this is when people get confident and wrong at the same time.

So the next time you see a college sophomore ordering tequila shots with a lime like they invented going out, know they’re just living up to the name.

III. Make a Mountain Out of a Molehill ⛰️

This phrase dates back to the 16th century, with early versions appearing in writings by Erasmus and later English authors. The imagery is simple but sharp: turning a tiny molehill into a towering mountain.

Over time, it became shorthand for blowing something small way out of proportion — taking a minor issue and treating it like a full-blown crisis.

A spilled drink becomes a ruined night. A small joke taken out of context becomes a full-blown debate.

Keep on sending on. Forward to a friend.