Aging with Grace

I’ve learned to respect the whimsical

Michael Leunig

These two creatures in the photo occupy important real estate in our living room . Dim Sum, the cat, my son adopted during a trip to Hong Kong. She was a gift to me. Her name pays homage to my favorite Chinese food. Archie, the Scottish Terrier, I brought home a few years later. It seemed to me Dim Sum could use some company. Archie is named after a character in the book, September, by Scottish author, Rosamunde Pilcher. She is an outstanding storyteller and one of my favorite writers.

Many, I imagine, would find my two, little, stuffed animals silly. Only adults live in our home and children seldom come to visit. Let’s not even discuss the fact that both animals have names. I prefer to think of them as whimsical. Sometimes it’s good to take a break from the pressing lives we live in this all too serious world. It’s okay to have something that makes us smile. A book, a painting, a photo, or two, tiny, stuffed animals. If it makes you happy, why not? It gives the room character. I love when someone’s home tells me about who they are. How you live and what you surround yourself with speaks volumes about you. Maybe a little whimsy isn’t a bad thing.