The Things We Love

Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?

When we brought our first puppy home, there was a peculiar toy that immediately caught my attention. It was bright yellow, shaped like a bouncy ball, and had a delightful squeaker inside that produced a sound my puppy found irresistible. From the moment I took it out of the packaging, I knew it would be a staple in our playtime routine.

As days turned into weeks, I spent countless hours tossing the toy across the living room, and watching my puppy race after it with boundless energy. Every time he returned it, panting and wagging his tail, I felt a surge of joy and connection. However, as my attachment to the toy grew, I also found myself becoming possessive of it.

What began as lighthearted sessions of tug-of-war with my energetic puppy gradually transformed into a series of more intense and spirited scuffles. Each time my puppy, with his eager eyes gleaming with mischief, attempted to claim the toy as his own, I felt an irresistible urge to intervene. I’d grasp one end of the toy firmly, while he pulled with all his might on the other end, his little body straining and his tail wagging frantically.

Our playful altercations often resulted in bursts of laughter, the joy of our game filling the air. However, there were moments when the laughter turned into frustration. I found myself caught in a whirlwind of emotions; I cherished the connection we were building through these playful moments, yet I also battled an instinctive desire to keep the beloved toy close to me. This peculiar rivalry unfolded like a dance between us, adding an unexpected complexity to our bond. It blurred the lines between innocent play and fierce competition, as we both navigated our roles within this playful contest. Each tug, each laugh, and each moment of exasperation deepened our relationship, showcasing the unique blend of affection and rivalry that defined our time together.

Over the days the chew toy had become really worn and haggard from the tug of wars and not to mention my puppy always won and the more he won the more he claimed his victory over it by chewing it more and more each day.

The toy started shrinking in size day by day but my attachment for it just kept growing even when I let my puppy snatch it from me.

Eventually I started getting busy in my school and my puppy started growing out of his chew toys. It was almost like we fought over the chew toy as a way of bonding over it, but never quite noticed it when we weren’t with each other.

One day after I came from school after a particularly long period of not playing with my puppy and wanting to spend some time bonding with him over the chew toy, I started to look for it around. I called my pup and asked him to find it for me but he looked at me like “What is she talking about?”…

The chew toy had disappeared. I looked for it everywhere. But never found it.

Later I discovered that the chew toy had gotten so tiny from the chewing and tug of wars that it just vanished with whatever was left of it without either me or my pup noticing.

That was the end of it.

That was the moment I realized I had grown-up and so had my puppy.

Childhood is truly just a brief moment in time.