"...Generally by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints, and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." (The Skin Horse from The Velveteen Rabbit)
The Velveteen Rabbit is one of my favorite books from my childhood. If you have never read it or had it read to you I recommend you go here: The Velveteen Rabbit
The excerpt above has always stuck in my mind, but I don't think I ever realized the magnitude and depth of this seemingly simple children's story until just now. As I watched this again on YouTube I found myself beginning to tear up. The wise words of the Skin Horse ring out, "He knew that they were only toys and that they would never turn into anything else." Throughout my life I have always felt to some degree a sense of my invisibility, whether by my own misgivings or not. Quickly forgotten and easily tossed aside like the Velveteen Rabbit, I wanted to become Real. It's about loving, and being loved, and with that love inevitably comes pain. Pain is what shapes us, making us Real, giving us abilities that go beyond present concerns.
"When you are real, you don't mind being hurt."
That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or who have sharp edges, or have to be carefully kept"
You have to become real, and once you do, it lasts. I believe that to become real is the most beautiful thing one can become.
"...once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
The Velveteen Rabbit is one of my favorite books from my childhood. If you have never read it or had it read to you I recommend you go here: The Velveteen Rabbit
The excerpt above has always stuck in my mind, but I don't think I ever realized the magnitude and depth of this seemingly simple children's story until just now. As I watched this again on YouTube I found myself beginning to tear up. The wise words of the Skin Horse ring out, "He knew that they were only toys and that they would never turn into anything else." Throughout my life I have always felt to some degree a sense of my invisibility, whether by my own misgivings or not. Quickly forgotten and easily tossed aside like the Velveteen Rabbit, I wanted to become Real. It's about loving, and being loved, and with that love inevitably comes pain. Pain is what shapes us, making us Real, giving us abilities that go beyond present concerns.
"When you are real, you don't mind being hurt."
That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or who have sharp edges, or have to be carefully kept"
You have to become real, and once you do, it lasts. I believe that to become real is the most beautiful thing one can become.
"...once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
(A Big Snuggie Hug to all!)
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