Joseph
Joseph is someone I met last month when I spent three weeks at my daughter's home helping her out while her husband was on a business trip out of the country. Joseph is about 18" tall, with brown hair in a side part, a pug nose, a perpetual smile, a smattering of freckles, and has two sets of clothing. Joseph is important though.
He started out in a vinyl mold somewhere in the bowels of the American Girl doll empire and came to live with my little 5 yr old grandson after much pleading and and a few tears. Joseph (not sure who he was named for) came with a twin sister who lives with my grandson's 6 yr old sister in the next room over. Now Joseph was very wanted by this bright little boy.
When I first met him last month, it seemed to me that Joseph's reason for existence was to ensure that the making-the-bed chore was postponed as long as possible since Joseph is always tired and sleeping, dressed in his pjs on L's pillow with the blankets pulled up to his chin. As my visit progressed, I learned that Joseph has a busy life beyond that of Keeper of the Unmade Bed. He's a doctor--a surgeon no less. He's a dentist and a firefighter. He builds roads and skyscrapers. He also has been known to clean house with his sister and cook and when they aren't playing as part of a rock band. Joseph plays excellent air guitar. Joseph sometimes helps superheros when they flag on their saving the planet missions. He has been seen sitting quietly next to L with a book on his lap for reading time. Joseph does homework. He sometimes even helps with conflict resolution. Swear to the universe, saw it with my own eyes.
Why is Joseph important? He's a piece of molded vinyl who will eventually be put aside for other more complicated toys. I've thought of him over the past couple of weeks. Joseph and L are not as exciting as the intrigues of sequestration, election games, or international stupidity that tries to pass itself for maintaining peace. L, with the assistance of Joseph, is learning how to negotiate the intricacies of being a small human in a big world. All of that potential weighted with all of the mundane tasks as well as successes and uncertainty are being explored in L's little world with Joseph along for the journey. Right now, L--and Joseph, are more valuable than all of the political hucksters in the world and claptrap devised by them. Empty shills who have forgotten what it means to see an open world of possibilities. I think as L grows older, once in a while grandma will remind him of the Keeper of the Unmade Bed and his adventures.
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