3/31

Links to 2/31 &
the 31 Vibrant Things Launch Post

There are our door stops. I bought them years ago when we installed new interior doors and updated all our trim-work. 

I bought them because I knew my grandkids would love them and they truly do. They sneak them away to add to their other toys and also bring them into the bathtub at bath-time. They call them, "guys" and when they inevitably go missing say things like, "I need my guy...where's my guy?" I love that they do this.

Here's the real story though: I bought them for myself. 

I love anything made anthropomorphic. Put googly eyes on a tin can and I would struggle to recycle it. Why? Two reasons. 

Firstly, it's a natural and healthy childhood response. An inanimate object such as a stuffed toy or plastic dinosaur typically functions as a proxy for a caregiver's comfort. I have a terrific photo of my middle granddaughter, I asleep with a miniature Bluey in her hand. They help children regulate their emotions and manage anxiety. I am so heartened that modern childhood classrooms often have weighted stuffed animals. 

And also for this reason: childhood me wasn't allowed to have them. Let's just say it was a strange time growing up in the early 70s and 80s. Maybe my experience was unique but nevertheless it had a weighty impact on me, obviously negative, but beyond my lifelong fascination with such vibrant things now, there was one positive outcome: I had to imagine my proxy companions and thus they became characters in my stories, my writings, my drawings. I wonder if some writers and artists have similar stories. 

Dear friends, here's to the little "guys" in our lives.