Return of Childhood Obsessions

There are certain things in life that you automatically discard by age 12 because they are no longer socially acceptable among your peers. For me this included getting rid of my stuffed animals that ferociously guarded me for years while I slept. When the time came, they were packed away in tubs; somehow this seemed much more humane than giving them to Goodwill. There they patiently slept for quite some time, waiting to be loved. I honestly forgot about most of them until a good friend of mine gave me the cuddle bug again, the need to have something to hold onto when I sleep. So down I trod into the basement to dig up these stuffed animals. The first thing I noticed was how they had lost their 'loved on' smell and they smelled like a wet basement. Yet, I brought my three favorite upstairs to reclaim their position as my bed sentinels.

Ok, here's the thing... when I was 7 a dozen stuffed things in my bed was comforting; now it's just flat disturbing. For the sake of my sanity, I had to narrow it down to one partner, Emily. She is a Golden Retriever puppy with a green collar covered in little bones. Adorable!

This same friend of mine who gave me the cuddle bug surprised me with a new addition to my collection. He is a teddy bear named Alex (the bear;) and he wears sacred colors... orange and blue! (Go Illini!) I must say he is a very good snuggler, and he smells amazing! It's astounding how little it takes to make a girl's day and how childhood obsessions that seemed so uncool only a few short years ago can all of a sudden be unbelievably comforting once again.