Stuffed animals are fun

With the state fair over, I've had some time to reflect. I realize the games at the fair are not strictly honest, but the prizes of stuffed animals give far more joy than they are worth. My youngest daughter was beaming from the two she had gotten. I love seeing such smiles, because they transcend any typical smile and radiate absolute happiness. It's a special kind of thing, and I've seen it many times from the ridiculous trinkets games provide as winnings. Stuffed animals are little slices of joy.

What other things make us happy, despite their seeming uselessness? Well, flowers for one. You can get a kiss by giving a girl a nice rose. When I was in high school, I made a bunch of plastic cubes which I glossed to a high sheen--my parents kept them, for apparently no other reason than I made them. Parents are renown for treasuring anything their children create. I have a bottle of ocean water, as a memory of a wonderful vacation with my wife. The saying, "One man's treasure is another man's trash," is completely true.

Back to stuffed animals, little children particularly love snuggling with them at night. It's adorable. Like pets, stuffed animals are things children get to take care of, play with, and teach. Watch little girls doing tea parties with their stuffed toys and you'll understand what I mean. Stuffed animals maintain an innocence we lose as we age, and winning them at the fair is like capturing a bit of that again. I think it's wonderful.

- M