“What is the most important physical object in your life?”

Weird question.

At the beginning of this semester I was tasked with making a “get to know you” slideshow for one of my classes. We were given a variety of questions to choose from, but this one stuck out to me. Plenty of questions were about my goals, my future, my interests, while this one was just about a physical object.

To me, physical objects are surface-level. I mean, how can you get to know someone through something so simple?

Then I remembered Bow Wow, my best friend since birth. Bow Wow is a little white dog who has lived on my bed for 17 years. Now, he is a little more gray than white and a little more shriveled than stuffed, but I still feel lucky to have him waiting for me every time I get home.

Many people may think of materialistic things when hearing “inanimate objects,” but inanimate objects can also be sentimental. According to Scientific American, people often use their belongings for emotional needs and support, not just for practical uses.

For me, a stuffed animal can be heartfelt. Vivid memories of my childhood are caked into the cotton. Years and years of my life observed from a mountain of pillows. So much of me is a part of a small white dog.

But still, I hide him. 

I am almost 18 and people around me have deemed Bow Wow as too “kiddy.” For a while, no friend could come into my room without me stuffing him under my pillows. My mom couldn’t see him without mentioning his off-putting color from age. I felt embarrassed. But I now realize that there is nothing wrong with holding onto my memories.

We keep photos of ourselves as babies. We listen to old songs we used to love. We watch our favorite childhood movies. We hold onto things that were special to us. So why is a stuffed animal any different? 

A stuffed animal can be much more than just a toy. According to the International Collegiate Journal of Science, stuffed animals, as well as other sentimental objects, can have a host of benefits for a range of ages, including comfort and security.

Out of the various questions I had to choose from, I ultimately decided that talking about an “important physical object” isn’t so weird. 

So the next time someone tells you about an object they love, listen to their story before you deem it “weird.” 

If you truly want to get to know someone, learn about what they love and why they love it, even if it is a gray, barely stuffed dog