#81 Squish-a-boos
Daniel got into the Squish-a-boo mania in 2021. He came back happy from a toy shop with Fetch, the black and white Dalmatian. The first line of the attached poem matched Daniel’s personality: “To run and jump is always fun”. We asked Trevor if he wanted one, but he “politely declined” by saying that this was for babies.
In October of the same year, I started getting an uncomfortable feeling in my arm. It got worse to the point that it was difficult to put on a jacket. It was painful to try to move my arm behind my back.
I was developing a frozen shoulder caused by an inflammation of the joint. Diabetic men between 40 and 60 years of age have five more chances of getting it than the next risk group. It goes away by itself, but it might take up to three years. There is no guaranteed treatment so I chose to wait. The physiotherapist recommended that I roll up a towel and place it under the armpit to sleep better. I got it at first in my left shoulder which recovered, but now I have it in my right shoulder.
Once, I was tired and took a nap but forgot to get my rolled up towel. Daniel’s Fetch was just next to me so I hugged it. I slept more comfortable than ever before. Daniel told Janne while I was sleeping that he knew I would like it.
This is how Zinger, the bee Squish-a-boo, enters my life. I got it in our usual supermarket. His poem: “Zinger buzzes ‘round, looking for his home / He lives inside the sweetest, tiny honeycomb”. I’ll hug it until my frozen shoulder is gone.
I found Roxie, the pink fox Squish-a-boo, for Janne. Her poem starts with, “Some foxes are clever / I’m silly and shy”. She didn’t react, so I had to guess if she liked it. I noticed one day that Roxie was away from our bed. I asked Janne, “what should I do with your raccoon?” She made a cute upset face and told me: “Her name is Roxie and she is a Fox!” Yeah, she liked it.
Daniel moved on from Fetch so he is on our bed. Janne moved on, but Roxie is still here. I need Zinger until my frozen shoulder stops hurting (maybe two more months now). A rational thinker like me has now this magical feeling to keep the family of Squish-a-boos together.
At least, Zinger still has Roxie.
