Blog Challenge Day 24: Something that means a lot to me

There are lots of things that can mean a lot to people: pictures, people, a favorite scarf/bag/hat, you name it. When coming across this topic, I asked myself: in case of fire, what would I definitely NOT leave behind and I would only have time to bring one item. That, to me, was crystal clear in a short instance: Bobby. Bobby? Bobby who you may ask… Well, MY Bobby, ‘who’ has been around for 26 years and has never let me down. I’m talking of course about my favorite stuffed animal!

Meet Bobby:

Aw, ain’t he cute? He’s got quite the story to tell. I’ve had it since I was a baby. At least, I think I do! I’ve had it for so long that even my mom can’t remember exactly how I came by it. Whether it was a gift because I was born, or whether I got it later: no one knows. All I know is that I had it with me at my uncle and aunt’s wedding in February of 1987, which made me 2,5 years old. That’s the first known record of Bobby. He has been my buddy every where I go: all the places I’ve visited, he’s been there too, when I was little I would hold him when I would cry and as you can see, he’s been through quite a rough time. Notice how he by now, has lost his ears, eyes, tongue, as well as most of his stuffing. Hence, my hand in the picture to hold him up. My mom would have to stitch him up every now again and I was of course peeved whenever she had ‘accidentally’ shoved him in the washing machine.

Bobby is a dog, in case you can’t tell and I apparently named him after the dog in the Tin Tin cartoons/comics which I apparently watched when I was 3. I named him Bobby then and he has been Bobby ever since. He’s still lying around my bed and it’s because of HIM I cannot sleep without holding something in my arms. My ex-boyfriend was not amused when I would once again strangle his arm while asleep. I usually make do with pillows, my duvet, or a sweater most of the times, but when I’m home, or know I’ll be gone for longer than one or two nights, he has to come with me. It doesn’t even matter whether I actually use him, but somehow my suitcase just isn’t complete without him. I’m sentimental like that.

So yeah, IF my house were on fire, and I had time to only grab one thing, I would grab this tatty, dirty and actually kinda gross looking stuffed animal of mine. Because he’s special. I have simply more memories linked to this one stuffed animal than to anything else I own. From attending that wedding when I was two, to sleep overs at my grandparents, to traveling by myself for the first time: Bobby’s always been there and it’s not likely to change any time soon.

Here’s what he looks like in full size:

Now my question to you is of course: who or what can’t you live without?