Our First Loves

This is one of the coolest student-produced multimedia presentations I've ever seen. It's a montage of different "first love" stories, whether it be a person or a food (the spaghetti one made me smile). So, in light of how awesome I found this, I'll do a little "first love" story of my own (just the transcript, though. Wish I knew how to add audio to a blog. It's Easter Break; I'm short on time here.)

Name: Andrea
Gender: Female
Age: 20 / 1 at first love
Location: Pennsylvania
Adjective: Perfect
Place: My house

My first love was my blanket. There was nothing in the world quite like it. It was a 1st birthday present, something special to mark the passage of my first year on earth. It was the perfect size; it wasn't too big, like the blanket my mom kept slung over the back of our couch, and it wasn't too small, like the pillow case I loved to wrestle off my bed pillow. It was fluffy and white with a satin edge I loved to keep close to my face. Teddy bears of various colors decorated its exterior; it was my first best friend. It came everywhere with me: trips to the grocery store, dinner out, and even trips to the playground. I couldn't sleep without it. I'd throw a fit every time my mom would wash it; my arms and legs would thrash, and my face would turn a deep red color. Nothing could replace it, not a slip, not a sheet, not anything. It always smelled too clean when it came out of the washer; I'd have to smush it around my bed and wedge it between my stuffed animals before it could smell right again.

As I got older, my blanket-carrying became less and less acceptable. The blanket itself began to rip and fray; pretty soon, all that was left of my best friend was the worn satin edge. And even after it was gone completely, and I'd slept through the night without it, it still remains something of a staple in my life. I never called it a "security blanket," but that's exactly what it was. Secure. Safe. Home.

I may be much older now, but those things are still necessary for me. Except now, instead of searching out a new blanket, I search out people who represent those things. I've learned that they're few and far between, like that blanket, but finding them, and keeping them, is exponentially more valuable than any piece of fabric.