The Velveteen Rabbit came to me in a dream last night.
Are you familiar with the story?
The Velveteen Rabbit is a stuffed rabbit toy. He competes with the more modern, flashy toys to become the boy’s favorite, and longs more than anything to be loved enough to be “Real.”
I couldn’t remember the details of the story, other than that it moved me to tears. And a popular quote that was used during dozens of wedding ceremonies we attended as DJs over the years:
Why did the Velveteen Rabbit come to me?
I pondered this for a while.
The Velveteen Rabbit longs to be Real, something he fears will never happen to him because he doesn’t deserve it. He isn’t good enough.
It’s the boy’s love that transforms him, though he becomes shabby and worn from the becoming.
At the end of the story, the Velveteen Rabbit is saved from the trash by the Nursery Fairy who grants his wish. He becomes a real rabbit and hops off to join the other rabbits in the forest.
I’ve been chasing Real all my life.
Need a volunteer? I’m your gal.
Got a role that needs filling? Sign me up.
I’ll be your resident Superhero.
I’ve been trying to prove my worth by showing what I can do. “If I’m useful, then you’ll need me. You’ll love me and never throw me away.”
But just like the Rabbit, I missed the point.
It’s not DOING that will finally fill this hole inside me. It’s not making myself someone’s favorite plaything.
It’s not someone else’s love that I need to reveal who I am; it’s my own.
When I can love myself unconditionally, exactly as I am, with all my quirks, flaws, questions and doubts…
When I can love every part of the world, even the ugliness, the injustice and the pain, without needing it to be different…
I’ll quit longing to be something else and just be what I already am: beautiful, perfect, loved.
It starts with loving this moment.
That’s Real.
