Narrative Paragraphs:

The only stuffed animal that decorates my made up bed throughout the day is one of the most important objects for me growing up. Fairly small now that I have grown up, but at one point I thought this bulldog was bigger than me. It is a big jump I know, but when I first received this animal it was in the midst of a distraught time for a child. My dad was deployed for several months when we lived in Virginia and my mom told us kids that we had to go get dad from the airport. Of course we were jumping with joy because being away from your dad at such a young age, 4, was rather hard since you were always teased with him coming back at some point but never knowing exactly when that would be. As a four year old in an airport it was overwhelming, but when I saw my dad walking down the aisle connected to the flight I was jumping with joy and even more excitement filled my body when I saw a stuffed animal shoved between his arm and his body.

Stuffed animals can be overrated when you get older but this one never did. He’s a three inch long bulldog with a British flag tied around his neck. The bulldog not only symbolized my dad and how much he cared for me, but it was also the mascot of my dad’s career. That bulldog stood for the Marine Corps which tied me closer to my dad when he deployed again. Not only did this small but beefy animal represent a person, it also ignited my dream to visit England simply because of the flag around its neck. I failed to mention this flag has a small hole in it because I did not understand how scissors worked as a kid, fooling around with them and eventually leaving a mark in the flag. Back to the dream though, I always knew that my dad stopped in London on connecting flights but that was enough knowledge for me to know that I wanted to visit there too. Luckily I eventually did in 2018 and was able to take a picture with the flag that represented my best friend back home. This bulldog received so much love that some stitching had fallen out, stuffing is flat in some places, and the flag is worn and fading. Nonetheless this simple object was my best friend in the midst of all the military moves we made growing up and that it why it is the only stuffed animal that still holds a special place in my heart.

Outline:

  • history behind the stuffed animal – dad, deployment
  • what the bulldog represents – dad, love, dreams, best friend
  • what the bulldog looks like – then vs now
  • the bulldog leading to a lifelong dream – something minute but important still