uh oh it's a dual-entry Monday! Because blathering on lj is better than participating in real life!

[lathriel]

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
-by Margery Williams, from The Velveteen Rabbit

Comments

[longstandingjoy.livejournal.com]

You know I've always loved that story.

[lathriel.livejournal.com]

we should watch the movie sometime. I've been wanting to for a while.

[longstandingjoy.livejournal.com]

Add that to the list you continue to lament of things I/you/we should read/watch/listen to soon. ;)

But of course, if you really want to, I'm all for it.

[wordvagabond.livejournal.com]

OMGs. I just come down from Eowyn's room were I was just reading that story. And I haven't thought about it before since I was a kid. How weird.
It's a very interesting story, and if you think about it too deeply (which of course I did) it can have several meanings. I don't like all of them.
When I was child, I thought it was a very sad story, but I don't remember exactly why now.

[lathriel.livejournal.com]

synchronicity!

I've always loved that story even though it's kind of sad. I hated the mom and I thought the little boy was a brat but the Skin Horse was like the Obiwan Kenobi of toys. Which is probably why years later when I finally saw Star Wars I loved it.

[wordvagabond.livejournal.com]

"Synchronicity" is such a good word. It's so much better than "coincidence", which sounds sort of condescending to the universe, I think.

[mermaiden.livejournal.com]

That was one of my favorite books growing up- and a story that's very special to my current relationship. I love that part. ;-;

(And I love dual-entry Mondays! :)

[lathriel.livejournal.com]

I bought a book off a gifts under $10 table at B&N that I was going to give to my friend last year for christmas called "The Velveteen Principle: A Guide to Becoming Real" but I never saw her until after spring and I forgot to give it to her and long story short I think I'm going to read it soon.

[mermaiden.livejournal.com]

I think you should~ :) It sounds like a very good one...

[bitterbonker.livejournal.com]

:)