plush

ART by ALBRON

As noted by the New York Post, Life Storage spokesperson Molli Spear made the following remarks about the study on her blog: “Many of our customers dedicate a small section of their storage units to nostalgic items. They may not have any monetary value or utility, but their sentimental value makes them worth saving in a storage unit.”

Men are not just keeping their teddy bears, in other words — they’re renting them space.

THE SURPRISINGLY NON-CREEPY REASONS SO MANY ADULT MEN STILL SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL

ART by SILVERJOW

 Oh, I don't sleep with a stuffed animal. But I do have some stuffed animals laying around that have been with me for awhile.  Apparently I have three bunnies that seem to have stuck around for about ten years now. They moved with me to Illinois from Ohio and have stayed with me ever since, witness to my shenanigans. I have not named them, though, strangely enough, given that people usually name their stuffed animals, I guess? I think I should, though. I'm going to take a poll with my friends and see what names I can give them! New Year's resolution FTW.

Anyway, I have never slept with any of the bunnies, but I can totally understand how and why it is that people would want to keep their stuffed animals close or keep possessions that have no real apparent monetary value. I think that those items hold for them memories and have a special meaning that outbids any expensive trinket. I know that some people would think a teddy bear is just a teddy bear, but if someone has had that teddy bear for thirty years, that teddy bear is definitely part of his life.

All these objects hold a connection to parts of our lives that cannot be replaced. They were given to us by someone we love or care about and they function as some kind of anchor that ties us to a specific moment in time. And I think we should keep them. I am one of those people who does not like to keep too many things but that always ends up with a heap of things that people think are just 'stuff' but that mean something to me: the books someone gave me, the figurine I got when a friend took me to the MOCA, the records I got for my birthday in a tiny record shop in Wicker Park, the IKEA plant I rescued from a sure death in the AsIs section.... the list goes on and on.

All those things mean something to me and allow me to spice up my own environment with mementos that make this place mine. They make me feel comfortable after a shitty day at work or a brutal snowfall or a rainy Sunday or when things are just not working well. I think we all should keep a stuffed animal handy. Even if we don't sleep with it. Because if you sleep with it, you'd be a plushie. Not that there's anything wrong with that....

xoxo

PLUSHIE SCHWARTZ