I Want My Blankie
Did you have a favorite blanket when you were growing up? I don’t remember a blanket but I remember a stuffed tiger I got when I was in grade school — our team mascot was a tiger. More than 20 years later, I still had that tiger. It wasn’t huge but wasn’t small and when I curled up with it, everything seemed to be better. Even after I was married, I kept the tiger and all too often it was more comforting than my husband … if you’re thinking the marriage wouldn’t last, you’re right … it didn’t. Tiger finally fell apart and I figured I didn’t need him much anymore.
When I divorced my second husband after being married almost 25 years, one of the first things I did was go get another big stuffed animal. My Bear was bigger and softer and just rubbing its fur was soothing. One night as I was laying with Bear contemplating the future, I recalled my brother’s blanket with the silk binding that my mom replaced bunches of times and my son’s baby blankie that he wore thin (we could actually hold it up and read through it). It got me to thinking about the blanket that needed to cover me before I could sleep at night — any kind of blanket, but it had to be there even when it was almost 100 degrees outside (and I don’t keep my house cold in the summer — I set the thermostat at 80).
Most of us need to be wrapped up in order to feel secure — emotionally and physically. Just because we get older doesn’t mean we need the comfort any less, it often just means we’re trying to tell ourselves (and the world) that we’re bigger and stronger than the scary monsters that are often part of our lives. My kids have special quilts given to them by my mom and even though they are now adults, these quilts still provide comfort. Oh, they’re too small to provide much warmth, but they love to have them on their beds “just because”.
There are a lot of things in life we’re supposed to outgrow — but do we need to? In today’s world growing up usually means getting serious about life and that often takes the fun out of things. I remember being told I was too old to play in puddles or skip down a hallway or be silly in public. Now, I’m here to tell you it’s time to rebel against that thinking.
We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing. ~ G. B. Shaw
It’s OK to play and it’s OK to still want that stuffed animal, blankie, or any other thing that comforts us. Remember Radar on M*A*S*H and his teddy bear? Remember he had it almost all the way through the series until he gave it to someone he thought needed it more than him? Some of us are ready to let go sooner than others and that’s OK. And who says you can’t have that comforting “thing” forever — and that “thing” may change: blanket, stuffed toy, night light, real pet, spouse/partner, etc.
Did you have something to comfort you when you were young? Do you still have it? Are you hiding it? Does it really matter what others think?
Maybe it’s time to get it out of the drawer, box, or closet and learn from it again. What do you think?
