Security Blankets

Last night I had a really rough night. I kept waking up and feeling around...not finding what I was looking for...and then trying to fall back asleep, but feeling quite uneasy. You see I'd made the terrible mistake of forgetting to get my security blanket into the dryer before bed. Yes, I have a security blanket. It was made by my grandfather's sister or his aunt. My Great Aunt or Great Great Aunt? I'm not sure. It is solid red cotton on one side and the other side is a thick black polyester with kind of psychedelic yellow and orange squares. The perfect cuddly blanket for a toddler girl to fall in love with! I know you want to see a picture of it. But those two or three of you that read my jib have probably already seen it many times.

I don't remember when he gave it to me. I was probably three or so. I remember his initials, MTA, were embroidered on a corner. I promptly chewed them out because the thread was scrumptuous. I proceeded to sleep with that blanket for nearly every night for the following 30 years.

Chancho was intimidated by it at the first of our marriage. If it accidentally got left on his side of the bed he would defensively ask, "What is this gross thing doing on my side? Are you trying to replace me?" But he's gotten used to it, even though he still refers to it as the "OBM" (Orange and Black Monstrosity). I don't know how he came up with that name. First of all, its not orange. Well...maybe it kind of was. The cotton batting was exposed on all sides and much of the "red" cotton was worn to practically nothing.

I am not the type of person to quit on a perfectly good security blanket just because its seen a little wear. Luckily my mother is not either. She shopped around and found some red cotton that was (probably?) a lot like the original fabric. She recovered that side and folded over and sewed the black side to make an edging. What an angel of a mom I have. I didn't even ask her to do it. She just saw its condition and offered it for me.

I don't know why I love this blanket so. Last night with out it I tossed and turned all night. What is it in a piece of cloth that can physically make my anxieties subside? I don't know. But it definitely has a powerful and real effect on me. One time during some very difficult times of depression and anxiety I was calmed by taking some homeopathic drops infused with some flowers and some of my own tears. I don't know how that worked either but it did. Maybe the tears are the trick. My blanket has certainly been soaked in tears on many occasions!

I've passed this love or this need on to my children. Maybe it is genetic (wait..all my kids don't have my DNA). String Cheese definitely chose her blanket as an infant and calls it "Billy". Billy was once white but is now quite gray. Deedle also decided on her blanket, or "Bee Bee". It was given to me by some Mexican friends when SC was born and is very heavy. But Deedle crawled upon it one day and has never let go. It got a large hole in it from a stroller accident. I tried to replace it but now Deedle just has TWO very heavy BeeBees. Loumy has adopted "socca blanket". I checked in on them just now to see if they indeed were sleeping with their security blankets. Sure enough. (see pics)

So, why did I spend this much time on a post about security blankets? Well, they are an important part of our life around this house and for some reason most of us can't even sleep with out them. I thought anything that important must be recorded for my posterity. And my apologies for those of you (all two or three of you) who took the time to read this. I hope you are not cursing at me for causing you to abide such a boring post.