More than Stuffing

Well. . .did you?

I did.

Zippy.

I don’t remember when I got him, but I remember when he went away mysteriously one day.

I was crushed.      .      .

I      r e m e m b e r.

Psychologists call that a security or transitional object.

Of course there have been studies about this.

There are no real numbers on how many people actually carry around a  childhood pillow,

blankie or stuffed animal,

but a recent survey of 6000 British adults by the hotel chain Travelodge

found that 35% admitted to sleeping with such an object.

Surprised?

Up until very recently,

it was thought to be bad,

but in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology in 2000,

it was found that those with a transitional object

experienced less distress, as measured by blood pressure and heart rate.

 Apparently

S   E   C   U   R   I   T   Y          B   L   A   N   K   E   T   S

really do live up to their name.

I visited a lady in a dementia unit recently who was holding a stuffed animal.

We talked briefly about some of the photographs in her room

of family and pets and she blurted out,

“You, YOU can go now.  But he’s staying,”

she said as she clung and hugged her stuffed animal even closer.

I thanked her for letting me stop by;

she wanted me to pray for her and her stuff animal before I left.

It was as short prayer.

I left wondering.       .       .

A couple of presentations

    .        .        .  a few conversations later,

I’m still wondering.

W          H          Y  ?

Why the clinging to a stuffed animal,

blankie,

pillow

or any other lifeless object?

I’ve asked it of a couple of groups and a more than a few individuals now.

I’m not sure that that there’s a definitive answer,

but some that have been offered are:

Non-Judgmental

Accepting

Unconditional love

Peaceful

Security

Who knows really?

The thing I wonder about the most though,

is if this

t  r  a  n  s  i  t  i  o  n  a  l           o   b   j   e   c   t 

can provide all or each of those things–

what about me?

How much more so can I?

P   R   E   S   E   N   C   E

is one of the most powerful,

non-evasive,

Nonpharmacological,

least expensive,

cheapest,

EFFECTIVE

ways ever discovered to provide

h  e  a  l  i  n  g !

Maybe what I wonder most.     .     .

Who could have ever imagined

j u s t    b y   s h o w i n g   u p

the most amazing things can take place

over and over and over

again and again and again and. . . . ?

Now  T H A T ‘ S  the stuffing we’re all made.

(Don’t let it go to waste)