28 years ago, Grandaddy gave me a small stuffed bunny for my first Easter. He was soft and cuddly, with sleek brown fur, perfect for snuggling. He was also just another stuffed animal. My parents set him against the wall with the ring of stuffed animals that encircled my room, right on the floor so I could easily get any animal I wanted. There he sat, huddled among bears, lambs, dogs, and other bunnies... until I chose him.
One day, he must have caught my eye. Suddenly, I was on a mission. Making a beeline for the cuddly new bunny, I crawled across the room. My little fingers grabbed him by one fuzzy ear and I excitedly held him up, proclaiming "Minee-Minee!!! Minee-Minee!!!"
From that day on, Minee-Minee was the one. No matter where I went, he was hanging lopsided beside me, his ear clenched in my little fist. When I curled up in bed, I couldn't fall asleep unless he was snuggled under my chin. Other stuffed animals took their turns being favorites, but my love for Minee-Minee never wavered. He appears in countless family photos and videos, looking
shabbier more and more loved as I grew up.
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| Those bald patches are just years of love! |
As I got into elementary school, he gradually became so special that I became afraid of losing him. On the way home from one trip to visit Nannie and Grandaddy, a sudden panic coursed through me. My heart pounded and sweat poured from my body. "WE LEFT MINEE-MINEE!!!" I shrieked, and my mom knew the only course of action was to turn the car around. When we parked the car in the driveway, I sprinted past my startled grandparents to discover Minee-Minee face-down in their hallway, camouflaged against their brown carpet. After that, Minee-Minee was retired to a place of honor on my bed, too precious to leave the house again.
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| Husband made me take a side-view so you can see how squished he is! |
Even though I'm a married adult, Minee-Minee still cuddles under my chin each night, perfectly molded into the best position by years of snuggling. Out of all my stuffed animals, he is the most Real.
"Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
-- Marjery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
This post was inspired by one of my students, who wrote about her special teddy bear!
I wonder what makes that happen. I had Teddy.
ReplyDeleteHow special that you still cuddle with your Minee-Minee. He is pretty squished but that's only because you love him so much. Tell your husband that is what is in store for him in the future, because you love him so much. :-)
ReplyDeletehahaha, you're so funny, elsie! That made him laugh out loud! :-)
DeleteI still have my special teddy bear, Jennifer, from a very long time ago, although I haven't slept with him in a long time either. His face is rather squished, his hair is a little thin, but he's mine! Just like your Minee-Minee. Love this. I have my daughter's 'Little Dog' on a shelf here. She's afraid her daughters will "love" him too much! Ingrid has a special hippo, goes with her everywhere. Thanks for the Velveteen Rabbit quote-I can't wait until the girls are old enough to read it to them, but we do read Corduroy already! thanks, & sorry about Ohio State. They made a valiant comeback!
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