He’s Seen the Best and the Worst
April 4th, 2025
Photo: Auburn Marriott
Writer: Auburn Marriott
Editor: Sophie Graff
In my twenty years, I have lived in thirteen different homes. These places have ranged from rural Kentucky to a sheep farm in England to Los Angeles, California. Moving constantly throughout my life, especially at a young age, shaped me into an extremely anxious child. I struggled to express the constant worry and panic I felt for no apparent reason. I repeatedly told my mother, “I don’t feel good,” and luckily for me, my mother understood and never invalidated my feelings. Instead, she recognized what I was dealing with and would go to my room and grab my bright pink stuffed animal, affectionately called “Froggy.” She would hold me, comfort me, and reassure me everything was ok, and this too would pass. Almost 15 years later, I still remember those times and feel the comfort of my mother when I see my stuffed frog, Froggy.
My father was a Major in the army which caused numerous moves. The day I was born on the US Army base at Fort Knox, Kentucky is also known as the day I received Froggy. We then moved from Kentucky to England, back to Kentucky, and finally to numerous locations in California. For seven years, we stayed in one house – the longest I had ever lived in one place. But my parents then went through a harsh and unforgiving divorce. This left all of us having to move and start our lives all over again, separately. At 14 years old, my life became a blur of change and sadness. I remember these days vividly; I felt like a person with no purpose, food tasted like cardboard, and I had lost a lot of hope in life.
After this, there were a lot of dark points throughout my life, but I always had the pleasure of coming home to Froggy. He has been with me and comforted me on my darkest days – when my parents told me they were getting a divorce, when I was bullied by my rowing team, and my first heartbreak. While he has seen me at my worst, he has also seen me at my best. I have brought him with me to witness the person I have grown into. He was with me on my first day at the University of Michigan and watched me take hold of the life I couldn't have even dreamed of.
Some might think it's embarrassing that a now twenty-year-old junior in college has a bright pink frog with a blue stitched smile and eyes on their bed, but I don’t. When I look at Froggy, I don't see a worn-down stuffed animal, I see the keeper of my memories – an object that knows every single thing about me and has seen every phase of my life. I see the stuffed animal that reminds me of my grandmother, who called and pleaded with an airline to send Froggy back to me when I left him on a plane as a child. (My grandmother is a very persuasive person – the airline searched for him and shipped him back.) I see the object that watched me lose myself, but also an object that watched me build and work for a life that I now love.
Froggy holds the memories of my life, and he has saved me more than once. Coming home and seeing this funny-looking frog on my bed reminds me of the people I love and how grateful I am for the life I have now. I admire those who have an object – a blanket, stuffed animal, or keepsake – that symbolizes hope or love.
As I finish this writing in my apartment, I turn and look at Froggy, right by my side as always. Just like a person, he is worn down around the edges and is not as new-looking as he used to be, but with time, he has become one of my precious keepsakes. He holds the memories of my past close and sits right beside me, ready to see what the next chapter of my life brings.
