Today was a pretty dang-good day for me.  Yet, I bumped into a couple of people who were having really bad days, as they sized things up.  I will never know why the road has to get rocky.  Perhaps ….. so we can observe a greater appreciation of times which are good.

With all that said…..

I feel extremely compelled to tell you this.

No day is as bad as when you lose your Woobie.  Now, in this case, it is clear that a small child, being slugged down the busy streets of Charleston, was weary, tired, and in need of a nap.  But Mom and Dad pressed on.   You see…. THIS was vacation.   The small child could barely walk another step….. let alone… find the strength and fortitude to maintain  his little grip on his Woobie.  His hand grew increasingly damp with sweat.  The Woobie got heavier by the minute. (Goodness… how many carrots was this thing eating?)

Finally, little Henry could no longer maintain is connection.  He  dropped his Woobie.  Immediately, he jerked down to pick him up…. but Dad jerked right  back on his wrist… not looking down to see the possible cause for resistance.  Henry began to protest… in garbled words… as the tears were beginning to burn the inside of his eyelids… and the crying-knot was mounting in his throat…

He screamed.  Dad lugged.  A full-fledged cry now, Mom glances down quickly, but to no avail.  She didn’t notice the missing Woob.

From this point forward, the day will continue to sour for this family of three.  The Woobie is now a full block away.  They will not discover the loss until they reach “Bubba Gump Shrimp” for lunch.  They will have absolutely no idea where to begin looking for Henry’s best friend in the world…. his Woobie.  Tonight, there will be no rest in the hotel room.  The Woob is gone…. but not forgotten.  Henry will never forget.

In 30 years, Henry will tell his therapist about this frightful day.  Yes, his therapist at Leavenworth Penitentiary.  Oh Henry.

But this is just one story of a lost Woobie.  Everyone has a different kind of Woobie. With a different outcome.

Some people in life can be quite remarkable when it comes to facing the loss of their Woobie….. their “thing” in this world that means the very most to them.  Or at least, a great, great deal.  Sometimes we lose more than one of these things. These Woobies.   It just depends on what time brings us.

I don’t know for certain WHY the Woobie Switch flips “off” and “on” as it does.  But it does.  Maybe the truth of the matter is…..  the Woobie was ready to move on to something else.   Perhaps something like a quiet place, on a shady street, with its back resting on a fence.  Maybe.  Things happen at their time.

“It’s so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.”  ― John Steinbeck