Everyone in their life has had a thing. Not like a habit or a behavior, but a physical thing. For some it was a blankie, for others it was a stuffed animal, and the list goes on and on. As embarrassing as some people think it may be, some of us still have our thing and we cherish it deeply. Personally, I don’t think it’s embarrassing at all, and I have pride in my thing.

My thing is a Build-A-Bear I got for a birthday present when I was four. She’s a brown bunny and her name is Pookie. Pookie has been through literally everything with me and she’s still on that journey with me today. She was there for every first day of school, she even made it into some of the pictures. She was with me every time I got sick and had to stay home. She’s been through the washing machine quite a few times as result of those sicknesses. She’s been on every vacation I’ve ever been on from Florida to Wyoming. She’s even been on cruise ship.

She was there when I was terrified from nightmares or when I was sad. She was at the hospital with me when I was sick with pneumonia for a week. She was packed up into my pillow when I moved into my first dorm at college.

I’ve been on the short end of teasing and jokes my entire life because I display her proudly wherever I go. My mom teases me all the time asking if I have her when we’re going on vacation or when I come home from school for a weekend. I display her on top of my pillows on my bed. I even bought her her own little Blackhawks hoodie.

My favorite thing to collect when I was younger was stuffed animals. I had bins full of them and I had quite a few Build-A-Bears, but out of every single stuffed animal or toy I’ve ever owned and played with, Pookie has always been my favorite. I took care of her when she was “sick.” I took her temperature, tucked her into bed, and even checked her ears with our ear thermometer.

The truth about Pookie is that she’s a very strong sense of home and security. I instantly feel better when I have her and after a hard day of classes or work. I have a handful of friends that still have their thing and some of them around proud of theirs like I am and some of them are embarrassed and scared that someone might find out about it. But here’s the truth, if something like a blanket or a stuffed animal or whatever makes you feel better or gives you a feeling of home you should never feel embarrassed about it. I never hide Pookie from people and you can usually find her lying next to me if I’m doing homework or watching Netflix in my bed. Love the things from your past and let them take you through a whirlwind of memories.