ReAdY fOr An UpGrAdE

First comes blanket, then comes animal, then comes... I say I want an upgrade, but after talking to a married friend today, I actually don't know how I'll handle sharing a bed with someone else--I like my space and I want my covers. However, I've always needed something to sleep with since I was a little girl (and for those who mock, go count your body pillows). So, my self-diagnosed Freud says, I like companionship {phew}.

My first companion, which my parents would probably call a crux, was my baby blanket. I called it my best friend. It was a brown and white handmade blanket with a large, brown teddy bear on one side and a series of small bears on the other. It was just the right material: smooth, cool and easy to snuggle. I would have picnics on it, make huts with it and sleep with it every night. However, when I was still very young, tragedy struck. The blanket got a large hole in it and the batting was coming out. I didn't mind, but apparently my parents did because one Saturday evening, amidst the usual evening show of All Creatures Great and Small, they threw it away. I was devastated, I couldn't believe they were throwing away MY blanket. Who were they to say I'd never get to see it again? Intolerable! So, when my parents weren't looking, I dug it out of the trash compactor and hid it in my room. Now, I don't remember the exact details of how long it took my parents to discover my covert operation, but when they did, they threw it away...again. In a seemingly nice gesture, they tried to replace my beloved blanket with one of my sister's blankets. I appreciated the sentimental act, but I h-a-t-e-d the blanket. It was pink, (abhorable), itchy (boo) and covered with bow-laden bunnies {gasp}. I kept it, but at arms length and soon replaced blankets with stuffed animals.

Now, this is where my memory gets fuzzy at times. I remember the big Rumpleskin bear. But she had too many accessories and her foot came undone, so she was shelved. Next, there was SantaBear; he was cuddly, cute and soft. But, he didn't have the correct elbow to face volume ratio, i.e. if I wrapped my arm around him comfortably, his fur suffocated me. So, he was eventually, and reluctantly shelved. After a few more attempts to find the A-quality stuffed animal with perfect elbow-to-face ratio, perfect softness and cuddleability, I went to extra pillows. That is, until I was given a cute, little stuffed pig. However, it too was shelved because during the night if I bumped it the wrong way, it would oink incessantly--not a good trait for a night time companion. Next, it was a brief stint with a raccoon-looking Teddy bear and more pillows. Years later, a great bond was formed between me and a white Siberian tiger, I named him Rajah. But, after a few years, I knew it was time to let him go. I couldn't part with him completely, so to this day he sits comfortably in my cedar chest along with other valuable trinkets. My nephews seemed to notice the painful void, and a few weeks later gifted me a lion (above) for Christmas.

Now roughly three years later, the poor little dude is falling apart. His mouth is a brown piece of yarn held on by something only short of a gravitational miracle, there's a hole in his leg and his mane looks like an ad for Hair Club for Men. And as I watch him slowly deteriorate, I'm left wondering... instead of trying to find a suitable stuffed replacement, could I just upgrade to a different kind of mammal? Just wondering.