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The Joy of Comfort Items and Eric Carle
In the age of uncertainty, everyday items take on a whole new meaning
Most mornings in my household, breakfast isn’t complete without a special visitor. Released from the arms of one of my children, they’d come barreling down the stairs, making a grand entrance. Sometimes they land on the bottom steps; other times, they stayed in the arm of the human that carried them down. And together, the child and the animal would sit down at the dining room table, the latter quietly watching with approval. Sometimes they participate when either my son or daughter flaps their arms up and down, as if to say, “How are you enjoying your breakfast?”
I’m talking about the variety of dogs, cats, horses, goats, sheep, bears, puppies, kittens, monkeys, foxes, pandas, penguins, and strange looking unicorns shaped with enormous eyeballs and horns (always pink). Of course, let’s not forget about Winnie the Pooh, Elmo, Mickey and Minnie Mouse and these very snuggly Squishmallows, my kids’ favorite. They come in all shapes and sizes, but the one thing they all have in common is that they are very, very snuggly. Holding onto one of these Squishmallows is like holding onto your favorite grandmother — you feel the love immediately upon touch. You don’t want to let go, for fear that the love will soon be gone. You always know that the…
