RevRainbow Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 (edited) "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." "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt." –Velveteen rabbit As children, many of us had imaginary friends. My early childhood friend was a rabbit and, it was a rabbit you could see. My dad named it after a movie rabbit: not Bugs or Peter –and there was no Roger as yet – but Harvey. I first was introduced to Harvey at a very early age on Easter Sunday, 1946. I was 10 months old. Every Easter Sunday after that, until 1952, my picture was taken with Harvey. We became inseparable friends. Every Easter I looked forward to playing with Harvey again. We hugged and posed and spent the day together and then he went back in the basement where I only saw him on occasion, perched stoically on top of storage boxes, when I went downstairs with my father. I couldn't play with Harvey all the time because of his delicate condition: he was a store display about two feet in height and papier mache. My family had moved into a new home on the northwest side of Chicago in 1953. It was during that summer when the basement flooded due to heavy rainfall. There was over two feet of water and boxes, papers, toys and Harvey were floating like jetsam on the sea. I remember my father taking Harvey out of the basement with many other things after the flood, and placing them in the alley for trash pick up. My life-long friend was soaked and falling apart. I was deeply saddened. As I said my final goodbye to him (it could have been the water from the flood, but I don't think so), I noticed what I thought was a real tear in his eye. The next day, when I went to the trash, he was gone. Now some may say that he was picked up by the trash collector, but I knew differently. I believe the toy fairy took him. You see, this past summer, as I was sitting out in the yard, out of nowhere, on Easter Sunday, a rabbit appeared and hopped over to me. He sat there while I got my camera and took a few photos and then he left. It was Harvey – he remembered me - and he came by to let me know he was alright and, that he became real - just as the Velveteen rabbit did. "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." – Velveteen rabbit Edited September 24, 2009 by RevRainbow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevRainbow Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 (edited) earliest known photo of me and Harvey, Easter, 1946. Edited September 25, 2009 by RevRainbow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fawzo Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Great photo and story friend! That hug is precious.I liked that Jimmy Stewart movie with Harvey, wish it would come on again.Who knows maybe that rabbit on Easter Sunday did have some bits of Harvey in them. Have you ever wondered where all the tiny bits that make up Harvey have migrated to by now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verisoph Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 I got a chocolate bunny for Easter when I was a kid. He smelled so good, I wanted very much to eat him, but I wanted to play with him, too. I rose above my base instincts, and he became my toy. I had him for a couple of months. Eventually, I came to think of him more as a friend than a toy.One day he got kind of warm, and then dirt got stuck all over him. I tried to clean him up, but my efforts were futile. So I ate him.I hope he doesn't come back as a real rabbit - I'll bet he'd still be mad about being eaten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevRainbow Posted September 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 I don't think he would come back mad at you, Soph. He was your friend and, rather than toss him out, you ate him and he became part of you. If we look at the things we did as children, we might find some very sound spiritual truths in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fawzo Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 (edited) I don't think he would come back mad at you, Soph. He was your friend and, rather than toss him out, you ate him and he became part of you. If we look at the things we did as children, we might find some very sound spiritual truths in them.I think I'm mistaken, but the moral I get from Soph's story is"that one should eat their friends if they get soiled" Now we see why his parents left his native planet and brought him here to earth. Edited September 26, 2009 by Fawzo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevRainbow Posted September 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Good one, Fawzo. I wonder if Soph still plays with his food? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevMaillet Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 hey playing with food is fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verisoph Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 I don't think he would come back mad at you, Soph. He was your friend and, rather than toss him out, you ate him and he became part of you.Hmmm, when I made my post, I hadn't thought about it like that. I kinda figured that if anything, I'd turned him into a poopbunny, and the poopbunny is what would turn into a real bunny. If he became part of me, then what turned into a real bunny would be me. That's even scarier.To be honest, I was never a very good friend to my chocolate bunny. I thought about eating him quite often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verisoph Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 (edited) Good one, Fawzo. I wonder if Soph still plays with his food?I used to chase abductees all over the ship with my raygun set to a moderate pain level. My parents were always ragging me about how uncivilized it was for me to play with my food. They weren't fooling anybody, though. I saw them laughing their dorsal suckers off when they thought I wasn't looking.. Edited September 27, 2009 by Verisoph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevRainbow Posted September 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 Hmmm, when I made my post, I hadn't thought about it like that. I kinda figured that if anything, I'd turned him into a poopbunny, and the poopbunny is what would turn into a real bunny. If he became part of me, then what turned into a real bunny would be me. That's even scarier.To be honest, I was never a very good friend to my chocolate bunny. I thought about eating him quite often.A POOP bunny? Oh man, I read that and though of a good scary movie: Peter Poopbunny, "just when you though you were eating chocolate..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Raz Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 I just now read the story and wanted to comment that it resonates with me. Experiential reality is what ultimately matters. Physical reality is just a means to that end, and sometimes not necessary for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamsidha Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 (edited) nice way cute picture"Harvey" I just saw the movie for the first time earlier this year...loved it""In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant."" Edited October 29, 2009 by Lamsidha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Michael Sky Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 thank you for this look into your mind Rev. Rainbow.... beautiful tragedy.... the essence of being human.... You are an admirable soul..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevRainbow Posted November 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 Here is one photo I took of Harvey when he appeared in my yard last Easter. See, I wasn't kidding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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