A Little Bit of Magic
March 22, 2023
Author: Rachel Cohn
Editor: Liza Miller
A little while ago, my roommate lost her beloved stuffed dog, Murphy, who she has had since birth. My friends and I turned the room inside out looking for him while my roommate felt the devastating effects of losing something so special to her. We were unable to find him and admitted defeat. My roommate went on about how Murphy means so much to her and how losing him was impacting her mental health. I thought she was just being dramatic, but I looked over to my side of the room at my stuffed black dog, Chocolate, imagined what it would be like to not see her sitting on my bed every day, and began to understand the connection a person can feel with an inanimate object.
About a week later, my roommate opened up her dresser drawer and to her surprise, saw Murphy sitting on top of one of her sweaters. My friends and I were all left astounded as we were absolutely sure we looked in there last week. My roommate sighed and said, “I think it’s just magic.” My friends and I exchanged puzzled glances, but eventually realized that there was no other explanation: this stuffed animal must be magic.
These events had me thinking about how inanimate objects can take on a life of their own when we give them meaning. I remembered how when I was little, I had a rotation of about seven stuffed animals I would sleep with every night, and I would cry and apologize profusely to one of the stuffed animals if I skipped its night. From a young age, we are taught to use our imagination and give stories to objects like our toys and stuffed animals. My sisters and I spent hours playing with our American Girl Dolls and creating elaborate plotlines. But as we grow up and we stop playing with our toys, we lose some of the magic, and hearing my roommate describe her stuffed animal as magical and seeing how upset she got about losing him reminded me of this.
Ever since Murphy was found, I realized how simple it was to bring magic into everyday life. Not only has this helped me find joy in my mundane routine, but I have also started to feel like a kid again. My friends and I have since created fantastical lives for our stuffed animals and talk to them as if they could respond. While we probably sound absurd to anyone listening in, it makes us laugh so much and gives us such a rush of nostalgia. There is something so human about assigning identities and personalities to inanimate objects, but unfortunately, this magic decreases as we age. So, bringing that back into my life with my stuffed animals has refreshed and comforted me as I’ve regained the wonder of my childhood again.
Growing up can feel overwhelming and difficult to cope with, but rediscovering what made my childhood special has started to lift the burden of growing up. Before, Chocolate was just a stuffed black dog that sat on my bed and would get shoved off whenever I slept, but now that I’ve remembered how special she once used to be to me, she has become magical. I have noticed that all my friends can relate to either having a special stuffed animal they still sleep with or having a specific comfort object which has made me appreciate the human nature of attaching meaning to inanimate objects to feel secure. Integrating this magic back into my life has really helped me keep my spirits up despite the anxiety I feel as I continue down the irreversible path of growing up. I am glad my roommate lost Murphy, because it brought me back to the carefree imagination of my childhood and reminded me that there is a little bit of magic in everything.
