My Barbie Blanket

                                                                                    

  My Barbie Blanket

  By senior Kyla Bibbins

           I have this friend who told me that when he is away from home he has to sleep with a silk scarf that he’s had for years. My initial response was that his ritual of being dependent on a piece of fabric for comfort was strange, until it hit me that I was in a similar situation…

I used to love playing with Barbies when I was younger. It seems like I had a million Barbies at one point. My parents even brought me a pink convertible remote-control operated Barbie car one Christmas. I was too thrilled, but the Barbie gift that tops them all, would have to be my Barbie Sleeping Bag that I got back in about 1996. I don’t know why I fell in love with that sleeping bag, but it truly has become the love of my life. I have slept with that sleeping bag almost every night since I received it as a gift 14 years ago.  Since 1996 ,the sleeping bag has lost a few zippers and is now more like a blanket but other than the fact that its delicate from being washed a million times, it’s still like brand new, to me anyway.

It wasn’t until my first night sleeping here at UMES that I realized how one piece of fabric can mean so much to someone. My first night staying at UMES, I did not have a TV, Laptop or a roommate yet, so I didn’t know how to keep myself occupied. Of course I spent the first few hours meeting my neighbors and getting settled into my room, but at the end of the night I was alone with nothing but my thoughts. I never told anyone this, but I was feeling kind of lonesome and homesick, I think I even dropped a tear or two. I tossed and turned for what seemed like hours then I said a quick prayer to the man upstairs asking him to lift my spirits. Then I just happened to glance to my left and I noticed my Barbie Blanket hanging out of one of my unpacked bags that was open. I told myself, before leaving home that I wasn’t going to sleep with my blanket anymore when I got to college, but when I started to feel lonely I couldn’t help myself.

As soon as I cuddled my blanket it reminded me of past situations that made me feel upset. I realized that this feeling was nothing new; I reassured myself that everything was going to be better in the morning. Before I knew it I was drifting to sleep. The next morning I woke up and felt way better, the feelings of loneliness were now behind me.  Why? Because I knew that if I had my Barbie Blanket I still had a little piece of home with me, and how could I be homesick if I had home with me?

I guess I now understand, how my friend felt about his piece of silk.