Life with Stuffed Animals
I think it is time I let you all in on a little secret.
I have a love for stuffed animals. Lots of stuffed animals. The more the merrier.
Some people love wine, some people love jewelry, some people love collecting dolls. I collect stuffed animals. I have a few from when I was a tiny gal and all my new ones. Now I do not collect with any sense of potential value in mind. I just love to cuddle and look at all their faces and create personalities for them that I sometimes write stories about for my kids. These are just typical run-of-the-mill stuffed animals you can buy at department stores like Wal-Mart, but they all mean something to me.
When I met my husband he had told me about this article he read where it said that if you meet a gal that still has stuffed animals on her bed... run. It was a long time before he ever learned that I had LOTS of stuffed animals on my bed. I don’t think that after 18 years he has learned to fully accept my stuffed animal addiction.
To be honest though in the early years of our marriage he once surprised me with 5 or six stuffed puppies and bears on Valentine’s Day. He woke me up with breakfast in bed with a stuffed animal sitting on the tray with a card and a clue to a trail he had set up. It was a whole string of stuffed animals leading me to different gifts throughout the day until time to go out to dinner. That Valentine’s Day turned out to have our adventure changed though as a blizzard moved in. Thanks, Michigan.
Then there are the Easter baskets my sweetie still gives me complete with a stuffed rabbit. I have a family of the darling critters that I take with me on trips to get pictures of them visiting places around the state. I took two of those rabbits with me to South Carolina when I went to visit my son graduating from his AIT (he’s in the Army). I have pictures of them in the Blue Ridge, sitting by the pool etc.
The thing is this though, there are so many fuzzy critters they have taken over the cat tree in my living room. Of course the cats had stopped using it anyway, so why not. I crocheted a basket for them as well. They are just all over. At night there are so many it takes me 15 minutes just to move them safely to a chair in my room or a basket. There are people that think I have way too many stuffed critters, but the true justification for the animals is that I can cleverly hide the voices in my head through the imagination of my stuffed animals. They are convenient. I can talk to myself without really talking to myself. Each and everyone of the little bears, or bunnies keep all of my secrets, they don’t judge and they just lift my spirits. What better way to hide any personality flaws and defects through talking to stuffed animals? I mean they aren’t like a cat or a dog that responds to you, sure, but you don’t have to clean the cat box, take them for a walk, feed them or take stuffed animals to the vet. You might have to sew up a hole here or there. The only thing you really have to worry about is dusting them once in a while. Sometimes you might have to wash a few, just follow washing instructions. The thing is I find that they are just precious. I can use them as throw pillows on the couch instead of regular pillows, which my granddaughters love. There are times it is nice to have a favorite teddy bear, puppy dog, or dragon when watching a sad movie or even a scary movie. I don’t really know what it is about my love for stuffed animals, and maybe there is no justification for my passion for them. My passion becomes part of my hobby as well as I love to crochet stuffed animals and dolls as well. It’s a part of me that I guess never fully grew up.
Sometimes when traveling with stuffed animals they want to drive.
Maybe it really doesn’t matter what motivates a person to collect something or love something with an unexplained passion. Some people love comic books, others have a love for wigs, still others collect art. We all have this innate feeling of what brings us in touch with that inner sense of peace, beauty, and comfort.
There are some that subscribe to minimalist ideas that it is better to have a few things of quality than a lot of things. It’s true you can’t take it with you. You do have to clean and dust around things more which takes time and if you hate to housekeep maybe the collecting things is too much. On the other hand although I am no fan of housecleaning, I really don’t mind having to care for extra things and knick knacks (which is another collection for another time.) from time to time because I do love finding ways to get extra exercise into my day.
The thing is that because my collection is not normal, there are some people that do not understand the appeal. You see all of these pictures of living rooms with some beautiful Victorian porcelain or maybe it is a home decorated with North Woods style. Some places are completely modern. I've seen homes that were decidedly Indian in style with beautiful images of palaces, elephants etc. However, how do you define a home decorated with stuffed animals. And not even highly sought after old fashioned stuffed animals or collectibles (remember TY?) but just an average little teddy bear or bunny rabbit for like $10. The style has no name except maybe “emotionally disturbed” and highly eclectic.
My husband tries to dial back the stuffed animals as a gift, but honestly they really make me happy. They just make me feel warm inside. My cats...they are fickle friends, sometimes they sit next to me, most of the time they go about being aloof. Pink poodles, on the other hand, are always there. They can not run away and I can squish them without harming them. It is sort of being aggressive and cute at the same time. Who knows what the appeal to stuffed animals are, I just down right love them. I just can't explain it. Maybe it is just part of my make-up and design. Maybe I wouldn't be as flamazing if I didn’t have my love for stuffed animals.
