I Don’t Feel So Bad About My love for the Penguin

| TravellinPenguin

I have to do this. When I was in the wonderful days of collecting my Penguin books beginning about 2011 or so, I forget. I acquired the little mascot of Penguin.

Since then he has travelled with me as I travelled in 6 continents on both holidays and book collecting these lovely vintage books. A couple of years ago, with 3000 books of varying Penguins on the shelves, specially built shelving and many travel stories the journey is over, having sold the library a couple of years ago. Getting older one begins to worry what will become of our valued collections.

However the Penguin remained. I couldn’t part with him and I take him with me still. In my 70s, I now travel, embarrassingly at times with him. He recently accompanied me to Sydney and whenever I take him out of my bag or pocket to hurriedly take his photo while he enjoys the sites, as my childhood takes over, I almost turn red in the face. But today that all changed.

I read this article in the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/nov/19/adults-who-have-cuddly-toys-comfort-objects

It is a wonderful article about adults who take comfort from inanimate friends. The story I love the most is the last one about the recently widowed woman in her 70s who acquired a teddy bear for comfort. They watch the news together and she stated she tells him “what sons of bitches they all are.” I really laughed out loud. Who is to say what the appropriate age is to give up their soft friends.

I think now I’m going to feature our household Penguin even more here. After all he’s sat on walls in Cornwall looking out to sea. He sat on the porch of Doc Martin’s porch. He’s been on camera safari in Namibia and Botswana. He had tea in Japan with several,people in our group who would borrow him for their own photo opportunities. That was quite funny as they posed him with cherry blossoms in yards we walked by.

He’s been in the subways of Moscow and once he fell off our bookshelf and one of our dogs grabbed him. I really saved his life that day.

So while this post isn’t about reading books now or going to many places, I do feel like this article in the Guardian may be life changing. I wonder how many other adults out there refuse to give up a childhood friend or find comfort in hard times with an old friend.

I haven’t gotten to the point that he goes into the will but you never know. I hope everyone is having a pleasant weekend and maybe this post puts a smile on your face.

16 thoughts on “I Don’t Feel So Bad About My love for the Penguin”

  1. You need to join up with author Hazel Prior! Since her penguin book came out, people send her all sorts of penguin pictures and things on Twitter–it’s fun. A guy I dated and I collected penguins in high school. I still have one special one. We don’t have these books here in the USA–at least that look like that. Too bad, I feel I’m missing out! lol

    Like

  2. You did indeed give me a wonderful reason to smile Pam. What a lovely image of that lady telling her bear what is wrong with the world!
    We have a collection of small bears in our house. Sebastian and Coe are the most badly behaved 🙂

    Like

  3. I have two little bears that my husband gave me many years ago, one was to cheer me up while not enjoying a particular job I was in at the time and the other one I am not sure about, maybe he just thought he was lonely and needed a friend but whatever the reason I still have them both and they sit on a shelf by my bed. I wouldn’t part with them for anything.

    Like

  4. Penguin is a lovely companion. You should be happy to have one. I wish I had someone, not too big, to bring with me on my travels. Love to see him in your posts.

    Like

  5. My sister died in September and now the apartment we shared sits unattended, thousands of miles away, and you have NO IDEA how panicked I am over my childhood doll that is there, alone, in the closet. I’ve had her since I was a toddler. She has a soft body and plastic (?) face. My dad once had to go out in the dead of night to go get her because I had left her at my Aunt’s house and would NOT go to bed without her.

    There is no shame in still having your Penguin out and about. The love is real!!!!

    Like

  7. When I resumed truckdriving 20 something years ago my youngest daughter gave me a laughing Buddha to travel with me. I used to face him forwards on the dash so he could see where we’re going (he’s in the ute now). I do still have my childhood soft toys but they’re in my clothes cupboard and only come out for very young grandchildren.

    Like

  8. You should absolutely not feel bad – our house has many refugee soft creatures abandoned by the Offspring and adopted by us, dotted around in various rooms, and I suspect both of us are guilty of the occasional conversation with them…. 😬😬🤣

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Wow… that was one heck of a collection. Glad you kept the Penguin! He’s sweet. I’m 65 years old and I still have a few stuffed toys, although I don’t travel with them.

    Like

  11. I love this and it’s not really all that unusual. I have friends with a friend who takes a little teddy with her wherever she goes and takes photos in all kinds of places. It makes people smile and spreads happiness and we could do with more of that sort of thing these days.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.