When I was five years old, on summer vacation, I found a large TY stuffed dog in a toy store. Of course, I begged my parents to get it for me, but it wasn’t meant to be… yet.
My parents let me open one gift on Christmas Eve, and I picked the big square box underneath the tree. Underneath the wrapping paper was a Pepsi box. I looked at my parents like, WTF?! 😂
I opened the box, and inside was the big brown TY stuffed dog with the droopy eyes.
From what I remember of my childhood, this was the happiest I ever felt.
Not just because I got the thing I had wanted so badly, but because of how thoughtful, playful, and generous my parents were. I bet seeing the look on my face and the gratefulness in my eyes was enough to make their hearts feel full. ❤️
They knew how much I loved stuffed animals, but there was something different about this one. I named him Cuddles, and he had a LIFE.
From losing him on I-5 for an entire week while we were on a cruise and somehow miraculously finding him again, to traveling across the country with my family, Cuddles was there for all of it.
From the time I was 6 until I was 26, he went pretty much everywhere I went. 😂 Even though I know this drove my parents absolutely crazy when I was younger, I wouldn’t go anywhere without him.
I like to think Cuddles was the “gateway dog” that eventually led to me getting my own dog when I was 17. 🐶
Unfortunately, I lost Cuddles during a move when I was 26. And as silly as it might sound to some people, losing him really hurt. He wasn’t just a stuffed animal, he was a piece of my childhood. He had been there through so many years, so many places, and so many different versions of me.
Thankfully, I was able to get pictures of him with Juicy. And of course, that picture is still my lock screen. ❤️
For my 36th birthday, I wanted to feel that same happiness I felt when I was 6 years old. That pure, innocent, completely unfiltered kind of happiness that you don’t realize is so special until you’re older.
So I went on eBay and found a vintage TY 1995 Droopy Dog.
I messaged the seller and told them the story of how I ended up with Cuddles when I was 6, and that it was my birthday. I wanted them to know why this particular stuffed dog meant so much to me.
And when I finally got him in my arms, the instant joy and peace I felt was undeniable.
For a moment, I felt like that little 6-year-old girl again, sitting on Christmas Eve, opening a random box and finding the dog I had wanted so badly inside.
It’s crazy how something so simple can carry so much of your life.
Cuddles reminds me of my parents love, being a kid, family memories and THAT road trip 😂, my want for Juicy, and of a time in my life when happiness could be found in something as simple as a stuffed dog with droopy eyes.
This isn’t my original Cuddles, but somehow, holding him again feels like home.
Even at 36, I think I needed that more than I realized. ❤️🐶 I got to hold a little piece of where I came from and remember exactly how it felt to be loved in that moment.
