For long time I've wanted to
write about this little thing that lives in our home named Token. She is a
little cow with a weird name. I should begin this post by saying that we found
her (or she found us, not sure) more than 4 years ago during a weekend we were
looking around to buy a new couch. We walked in a furniture store and as part of a
promotion the store was having that weekend, a sales representative gave Diego -who still
was a 2 year old baby- a little cow, who he immediately named: Token. Not
particularly cute, just a regular (on the unattractive side actually) little
stuffed cow.
"Mama, she is not just a stuffed animal, she is family" my now 6 year old boy told me the other night. Yes, she is family I replied, not just to agree with him and make him happy but believing in my own words, yes, she really is a member of our tribe.
Many toys and new little obsessions have come and gone in our house, Thomas the tank engine, Starwars, Legos of all kind, pirate swords, fire engines, cars, super heroes, just to name a few, but none have stayed and have become part of our family in the way little Token has.
I have so many wonderful stories about Token, like when she took -a day trip to Paris-, or when she got lost in a bookstore but waited for us to pick her up. Once she went to Chicago with us (she is a well-travelled cow) and got lost in the hotel. That's her favorite thing by the way, getting lost. She has traveled with us, she has met members of our family, she goes to the doctor with us if we don't feel OK and she spent two whole years attending preschool with Diego, without missing a day of school. Actually she is now in kindergarten, a school that according to Diego has a program for little stuffed animals. Sometimes she eats ice cream but most of the time she likes healthy food. She sleeps with Diego at night but she also likes to get down the bed and spends some nights down there. She doesn't like to be held by anyone else but Diego but she is a people cow, she just likes people. She does not like to take baths and so she looks a little dirty and messy most of the time. She loves Diego and Diego loves her back. And we love her deeply too.
It touches my heart to see the
relationship and the love my kid has for his little cow. The stories he creates
and the companionship between him and Token; and even though we are talking
here about a make believe world, it seems so beautiful and so real to him -and
us-.
I have a beautiful project that
involves Token and all her stories (many stories). If I only had the time (or
the focus) to sit down and write them, put them in words and just get them out of my
head; a piece of paper, a pencil and a little free time is all I need.
Oh well, there it is, a goal for
the new year, I guess.
Meet Token, the cow...
