I am home alone on New Years, cleaning and listening to music, and suddenly I remembered Grant Owen, a kid I interviewed at the beginning of the pandemic, and I realized he is exactly the company I needed. So as you’re getting ready for your dinner party or dance party or if you are stuck in a cab or a subway on the interminable trip to The New Years Place, I think you will find that Grant Owen is good company.
Thank you Grant, and thank you Erica.
I’m 53 years old and I still have my stuffed animals, plus my Moms.
They’re an important part of my life, and they’ve been there when I need an ear, or a hug.
Each one is a personality.
I appreciate you Grant.
So upbeat, perfectly timed. Sad too, in reflecting on those that, like beliefs in Easter Bunny, Reindeer that can fly, we’re our best friends in the hazy past. Where are they now? I hope they’re happy. You’ve saved them here for Grant for a lifetime…precious memories. Happiest of New Year’s to all. It IS all an illusion.
Keep up the good work, Grant and Erica. Sharing your feelings can be rewarding for you and for me!
I am stranded at Laguardia airport after a cancelled flight, hunkered down in my N95 mask and delighting (again) in Grant and his steadfast love for his little stuffed charges. My sister and I played with our stuffed animals for almost a decade when we were growing up. Our stuffed family and their many dramas were part of the fabric that continues to keep us close. Listening to Grant carries me back to those sacred, endless hours when nothing could touch the sanctuary of our play. What a gift on the first day of this strange, tenuous new year. May 2022 inspire us to care for one another as Grant cares for his collection – imbuing it with faith and magic. Thank you, Rumble Strip, from the bottom of my furry heart! ps: “Foreigner” and a little bit of vinegar will disappear any stain.
This is such an excellent message to get on Day 1 2022. I loved my stuffed animals so fiercely. And I remember a powerful, anticipatory sadness at not caring about them a much when I’d get older. I knew I wouldn’t care about them in the same way and I was mourning…it? me? them? before the change even happened. But Grant really does remind me of things I once knew that I’ve forgotten but COULD know again if I pay attention.
yes! i remember that the last few times my sister and i really dove deep into our animal world – i may have already been 11 – there was an unfamiliar, unwelcome sensation of self consciousness that was sort of devastating! there is a pronounced mourning that accompanies growth, particularly when its impetus is external pressure……..it’s not surprising that i now teach kindergarten : ) Grant is the kind of kid you hope walks into your classroom.
It’s a deep sadness that comes when you realize you’re no longer losing time the way children do. Or are so absorbed in time that it’s lost? Anyway I think the whole point of this long science
Project is to remember how to do that. I think?
yes! i remember that the last few times my sister and i really dove deep into our animal world – i may have already been 11 – there was an unfamiliar, unwelcome sensation of self consciousness that was sort of devastating!
Exactly!!!!
Real dogs are good to have and hold, too.