Karen Newman Midgarden

My name is Teddy Newman and I am 72-years-old, just like my human. I have lived with her since she was born in a tiny town in North Dakota at the end of a very snowy winter.

I moved with her when her parents bought a bigger house as their family grew.  I was there when she went to college and when she was married. Sometimes, I lived in her room. Other times, I lived on a shelf with her special treasures. A few times, I even hibernated in a closet, but we continued to live under the same roof. 

I was worried a few years ago when she downsized to move from a big house in the country to a smaller home in the big city.  I knew that she had to decide what to do with her memories. I panicked when she placed me in the trash can with Panda Bear (R.I.P.), but she rescued me and promised we would live together ‘til the end. 

We both cried because the human and I remembered these wise words from The Velveteen Rabbit. “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.”

Teddy Newman is real.